If you’ve been running Dragonbane and need to spice it up, consider preordering the Bestiary released on February 27. The book includes roll tables, random encounters, adventure hooks, and 67 new monster blocks. The book is available in a hardcover Standard Edition and a faux leather cover with gold foil print Collector’s Edition. The collector’s edition looks very pretty and will look amazing on any shelf. Both versions come with instant PDF access to the Bestiary. You will be able to purchase the PDF on DriveThru RPG at launch if don’t care about physical media.
Free League Publishing is also releasing cardboard Monsters Standee Set ($24.62) for folks in need of miniatures with the Dragonbane flavor. I can’t speak on the quality of the standees, but at least they look cool.
I was sent a free copy of the Bestiary PDF to cover for my blog. I haven’t had a chance to run any of the monsters as I finish my current campaign, but I am planning on running a couple of one-shots soon to close things out. I did flip through the book, and I remain impressed with the art and flavor.
The book includes nine chapters of monster types: Nightkin, Rare Kin, Insectoids, Trolls, Giants, Beasts, Undead, Dragons, and Demons. Each monster introduces new lore, an adventure hook, and a random encounter for when you need it. At a glance, the stats and mechanics of the new monsters seem fun and fair, but I’ll need to test them to know for sure. For those of you who love Dragonbane and need access to new lore and monsters, go preorder the Bestiary. For those of you who don’t mind waiting, you can pick up a copy of the Standard Edition on Amazon for $39.99.
I will be posting a more detailed review once I run a couple of encounters, so stay tuned for that. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
I know I am very late, but it’s been a busy season for me. I’ll try to finish this up as soon as I can. Make sure you always read the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Fenriloogamon drops from the Digivolution light onto all fours. The atmosphere around its body burns from its heat. Each mighty paw leaves behind a molten print as it sparks into an unextinguishable blue flame. Bright blue fur spills Brom between its platinum armor that rattles elegantly with each step. Fenriloogamon’s tail wags as it turns its attention to the professor.
“Here I am, Professor. I’m finally part of the club,” Eiji and Fenriloogamon taunt in unison. They stare down at the professor with a hungry determination.
“Remarkable,” the professor lets out. “I never thought your desire to save Leon would be enough to trigger your mega Digivolution. You are full of surprises Mr. Nagasumi.” He chuckles.
“Aren’t friends important to you?”
“I don’t see a need. People are either useful or they aren’t. Why complicate things further?”
“So that’s all we were to you? Useful?”
“Very,” the professor says with a smirk. “Which reminds me. I still owe you a fat bonus.”
“How fat?”
“Don’t tell me you’re reconsidering my offer?” Ryusenji jests.
“Nah, there’s nothing to consider. I already know the type of person you are.” Inside Fenriloogamon’s Digicore, Eiji looks over his monitors. He examines the readouts before cracking his knuckles. “We’re going all out bud,” he says to Fenriloogamon.
Fenriloogamon leaps into the air, unleashing a mighty roar that shakes the Source Domain.
RAGNAROK HOWLING!
Yulin watches Fenriloogamon charge toward the professor. She felt safe behind the pillars and slabs that surrounded her. The Tyrannomon that brought her here stands nearby with an unconscious Ryudamon at its feet. A second Tyrannomon carefully lowers Pulsemon and Black Agumon on the ground nearby.
Kosuke rides in on the third liming Tyrannomon. He gives it a gentle pat on the head as he gets off and begins limping towards Black Agumon.
“Kosuke…” Yulin lets out.
Kosuke limps past her and drops in front of Black Agumon. “Forgive me,” he makes out weakly. “Your warning wasn’t about the Source Domain. It was about Ryusenji.” Kosuke clutches his fist tightly.
“What’s in your hand?”
“I’m here to put an end to it,” he says as he reaches towards the Black Agumon. Yulin can make out the syringe in his hand. Black Agumon stares back with an unchanging blank expression.
“I can’t hear Dorumon anymore…he took everything from me..If only..” his voice trails.
“Snap out of it Kosuke!” Yulin says sternly. “At least wait to see what the kid can do.”
Fenriloogamon burns a pale blue in the distance.
Fenriloogamon releases a searing shockwave towards Dorugoramon. The attack sends Dorugoramon skidding several meters back. Fernriloogamon readies its next attack, leaping through the air until it was directly overhead. It rains down fiery beams from its limbs.
JOTUNHEIMR GALE!
Kosuke turns towards the battle for the first time since it started. “I don’t believe it.” Kosuke watches in amazement. “The kid actually did it.”
“It’s easy when you’ve got nothing to lose.” Yulin interjects.
“He’s fighting for his friend. That’s not nothing.” Kosuke follows the fight carefully. “He’s always been determined to be on the winning team.”
“You used to be like that, once,” Yulin says as she moves closer to Kosuke.
“Maybe I was,” he says quietly.
“We were all like that once. Now, we just have to do what we can.” Yulin places her hand gently on his shoulder.
Kosuke looks over to her and smiles. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.” He lets out a sigh as he tightens his grip around the syringe.
A blinding pillar of light shoots up from the center of the stone pillar, pulling Durogramon and Fenriloogamon’s attention from the battle.
“What was that?” the professor asks.
“Eiji,” Fenriloogamon calls out. “It’s them!”
The light begins to pulse.
“Did he?” Eiji looks down to search for Kosuke, but there was no sign of him or the Tyrannomon. “He must have administered the Medicine.” The beam turns a familiar warm yellow hue. “LEON! PULSEMON! COME BACK!” They shout.
Leon lays lifelessly in his bed. Wires and tubes run from various machines into his body. A sudden jolt wakes one of the monitors as it fills with unusual activity as the Digimon Linker on Leon’s wrist flickers to life.
The pillar of light fades. Suddenly a bolt of lightning jumps from the center of the stone circle.
“Pulsemon!” Eiji cries with joy.
“Sorry we’re late.” Pulsemon and Leon say at once. “You look…different.”
“Leon? Is it really you?”
“Who else would it be?” they answer.
“Isn’t this sweet?” Ryusenji interjects.
“Professor?” they turn to the silver dragon now staring down at them. “Why are you inside Dorugoramon?”
“I’m here to stop Eiji and the rest of the Sons of Chaos,” the professor explains sheepishly.
“You’re fighting Eiji?”
“He betrayed us Leon. He’s siding with the enemy. They’re trying to destroy the Digital World.”
“Don’t listen to him Leon! He’s the bad guy, not us.”
Leon and Pulsmon look around them. They take in the strange new scenery. Their talon scratches at their chin as they continue to process. They nod suddenly and let off a snap. A spark flashes and consumes their body as they Digivolve.
When the sparks fizzle out, Kazuchimon stands between the Eiji and the Professor.
“How..how is that possible?” Yulin asks, watching the new Kazuchimon spring to life. “He was DMIA.”
“The recovery medication was originally designed to extend the amount of time someone can be mindlinked.” Kosuke watches in amazement. “The drug worked.” He had done all he could do.
“Remember Leon. Remember what he did to you. He’s made his choice. Now join me and help me defeat him.”
“Don’t listen to him, Leon. He’s using you!” Eiji yells as he watches Kazuchimon swing around to stand beside Dorugoramon. Kazuchimon begins collecting electrical energy in its fists.
SHINDEN SHOURAIKO!
Kazuchimon releases the energy in a powerful strike, exploding with powerful force against its unsuspecting target.
Kosuke lets out an anguished scream as he falls to the ground in pain.
Dorugoramon’s arm smolders. Black fumes rise from the wounds. “Leon?” Ryusenji lets out. “Why?”
“You didn’t bring me back professor,” they respond. “Tartarus did.” They release a flurry of blows, each one connecting violently against the silver dragon. Dorugarmon falls to the ground and the attacks stop. “And it was Eiji who came after us.
“Leon!” Eiji exclaims.
Kazuchimon rushes to Fenriloogamon’s side. “It’s hard to explain…but we heard the whole thing.”
Eiji smiles. “So you’re saying you’re siding with us Code Crackers?”
“Kazuchimon smiles. “Never.” It draws its lightning blade and points it at the professor.
“You’re making a huge mistake Leon!” The professor shouts.
“So be it.”
“We’ve got your back,” Eiji and Fenriloogamon say as they move next to Kazuchimon. The two Digimon ready for their next attack.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
Kazuchimon and Fenriloogamon open up a private channel.
“Hey Leon…” Eiji says sadly.
“Don’t worry about it.” they reply before Eiji can apologize.
“Give up quietly professor,” Kazuchimon commands.
The professor cackles. “This is my domain now. You don’t stand a chance!” A tree diagram splits the sky above them.
“What’s going on?” Leon shouts.
“Something’s happening to the alter!” Eiji yells.
“Did you already forget that I cracked the Source domain?” the professor gloats. “I’ve run out of patience.”
Dorugoramon’s body begins to bend and stretch suddenly.
“Kosuke!” Yulin shouts as she watches her old friend fall to the ground unconscious.
Dorugoramon continues to contort violently. A strange force pushes against its insides, trying to burst from within.
“It’s downloading data directly from the source Digimon. He’s going to kill them if he keeps this up!”
“This is bad!”
“Lets go Kazuchimon!” Fenrilogamon barks. The two Digimon charge at their terrifying new foe.
Dying Light is hitting the tabletop in Glass Cannon Unplugged’s newest Kickstarter coming February 27th. Players can now enjoy their favorite zombie franchise in a board game that seems pretty faithful.
The world has been overrun by zombies, and only one city is left standing. Run, climb, and jump through the streets of Villendor as you make your final stand. Do you have what it takes to survive?
What is Dying Light: The Board Game
Dying Light: The Board Game is a 1-4 player cooperative narrative game where players must survive in Earth’s last remaining city. The game features dynamic dice mechanics, an impactful day and night cycle, and an adrenaline-fueled parkour and combat system. I’ll have to see more, but the game promises an authentic and unique system.
As for game pieces, the game comes with a double-sided board and easy-to-build modular terrain ensuring that all your games will be different. There will be two editions of the game: Standard and Deluxe. The Standard Edition will include 76 cardboard game pieces while the Deluxe version will have high-quality 32 mm plastic miniature versions. The minis look very cool, but I definitely would need to learn how to paint.
Both versions include:
4 Runers
8 Bandits
60 Infected
4 Large Infected Bosses
The day and night cycle is the game’s coolest gimmick. Mechanically, players will experience a shift in challenges and possibilities depending on the time of day. Thematically, this is the fantastic flavor for any zombie game where nighttime is always more dangerous. Visually, the board, buildings, and game pieces light up under UV light for a visually stunning and immersive experience. It looks like I’m going to need to invest in a good UV light for game night.
If you’re a fan of the game, or looking for a zombie game, you might want to follow the Dying Light Board Game Kickstarter. I like the flavor, the minis look cool, and I love that there is a solo-play option (I don’t have friends who would play with me).
People who back the Kickstarter within the first 24 hours also receive the exclusive Kyle Crane character pack, so make sure you turn on those notifications.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow the socials, and share this with your friends.
This news is a little old, but I’m posting it for those who missed it. The Grand Archive ban and restricted list have been posted, and if you’re participating in the online tournament this weekend February 24, you should already be compliant.
Those of you wanting to play some Grand Archive and win some National Qualifier Points (NQPs) should sign up for Yeti Gaming’s webcam regionals. It is a $10 entry fee for a tournament you play over Discord. The top 8 players will receive:
Finalist Playmat
18 packs of Alchemical Revolution
4 Gold Packs
6 Silver Packs
1st place will receive these rewards but with a Regional Champion playmat instead of the finalist one. Check the official site for more details. Sign-ups are still open.
Ban List
The ban list effective February 16 has been announced, but the list is a bit confusing. There are three categories, but only category three is the ban list. Categories 1 and 2 are watch lists, with 2 being more problematic from what I gather. Sword of Avarice, Reckless Conversion, and Crystal of Empowerment are banned.
Crystal of Empowerment has been a mainstay in the competitive meta persistently. While the intention was to provide a cog in the strategy of level manipulation primarily for Mage and Cleric, it has proved to affect the game in more facets than intended, warping the tempo of the game. It limits design in other classes where it should be much harder to modulate levels compared to Mage and Cleric. However, an additional reason to ban it now rather than later, is that Crystal has been overperforming in the current meta even when used for its intended purpose.
Category 1 Watch List
Cards in this category are considered problematic for the future of the game. The newest additions to this list are Scepter of Lumina and Erupting Rhapsody.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you need any Grand Archive, like the new Alchemical Revolution set, pick it up at TCG Player using my affiliate links!
I was sent Matchmaker Agency for free 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 of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee!
What is Matchmaker Agency?
Matchmaker Agency is a management game out now on Steam. In a town defined by its romance, it is your job to facilitate it. Your grandparents used to run the town’s renowned matchmaker agency until their deaths. As the only other person in the family passionate about the business, your grandparents have left the keys to the business to you.
This task won’t be easy. It has been years since the shop was in business, and people have forgotten it is renowned. Build your clientele, run successful ad campaigns, make successful matches, and build your reputation. Can you build your agency to its former glory?
Gameplay
The goal of Matchmaker Agency is to build a successful business. There are logistical challenges that need to overcome like staying on top of your bills, maintaining your client’s satisfaction, building your reputation, and upgrading your place of business. These are decisions players need to make each week. While the main loop of the game is finding successful matches for your clients, staying on top of the business’ logistics keeps the lights on.
To make matches, you’ll need to attract clients. You’ll do this by spending money on advertising, good word of mouth, and buying upgrades for your shop. When you attract a client, you’ll need to interview the client to find out what they want from their match. Once you have enough data and clients, you can set them up on dates. On dates, you’ll be presented with quick time challenges to help create a spark between your clients. If your matches are successful, you can keep building your business until you’re the best in the city.
Thoughts
I enjoyed Matchmaker Agency. It had a cute premise, a relaxing gameplay loop, and a fun art style. I’m not a huge fan of the genre, so I appreciate how casual this entry is. One unavoidable issue players will face is the awkward translation. There is some odd syntax that makes interviews tricky. It isn’t unintelligible, but it is noticeable. After a while, I kind of knew what the game was asking for, but I did fail some interviews because of the translation.
Another issue I had was with the dates. On dates, players are presented with issues and scenarios they have to react to. These choices affect the success of the date, but the timer goes by too quickly. Bundle this with the awkward translations, these challenges are unnecessarily difficult at times. I failed some challenges because I didn’t have enough time to make sense of my choices. It isn’t impossible, and eventually, you’ll know what the game wants, but it is something to consider.
Despite the flaws, the game is fun. Matchmaker Agency is a casual management game with a quirky and fun story. It has a great art style, a fantastic soundtrack, and a relaxing gameplay loop. The translation issues are noticeable, but they aren’t a deal breaker. If you’re looking for a casual wholesome game and don’t mind the translation issues, grab Matchmaker Agency.
You can pick up Matchmaker Agency on Steam for $19.99 (currently on sale for $16.99 for the next 15 hours).
Update: Yon can now preorder the book if you missed the kickstarter.
I’ve been running my Dragonbane campaign for a couple of months now, and have been impressed with the system. With my campaign coming to a close, I’ve written a more detailed review that you should read if you want to know more about the system.
As I was prepared to move on to a different system, I came across an interesting Kickstarter Dragonbane adventure: Shadow Over Gloomshire. The campaign is fully funded, and with ten days left on the campaign, I thought it deserved more exposure.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to back the Kickstarter!
What is Shadow Over Gloomshire?
Shadow Over Gloomshireis a Gothic horror prewritten adventure for Dragonbane. It features unique hand drawn art, maps, and it introduces 2 new classes: Paladin and Monster Hunter. There are also role tables, a new location, and descriptions to help get things moving.
Two new professions. Work in progress
I’d love to play a malard kin paladin or a wolf kin monster hunter.
The temple. Once a place of worship, now home to twisted evil. Work in progress
You find yourself stranded in the remote village of Gloomshire. It’s a haunting place full of strange and frightening dangers lurking in the shadows. Travel through a haunted forest, investigate a creepy mansion, and embark on a spooky adventure I’m sure you’ll never forget.
Minerva, Cleric of Light. By FukamiHB
Stygian wolf by John Bilodeau
Demonic artifacts by Melker Holmgren
Impressions
If you like gothic horror, it definitely seems like it has the right flavor. I am a huge fan of the artwork, and for $11, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal. There is always a risk in backing Kickstarters, but Robin Fjärem has a few other projects under his belt, so it seems pretty reputable.
You can pick up a copy of the Shadow Over Gloomshire adventure PDF for $11, or a booklet and PDF for $20 which isn’t bad for an adventure.
I like running my own adventures, but it’s always nice to take a break and build off what other people have come up with. We always end up going off script, but it is always nice to have things like role tables, encounters, and loot at the ready. I think its a pretty cool project, but go check the Shadow Over Gloomshire Kickstarter and see for yourself!
I was sent Rough Justice for free 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. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
What is Rough Justice
In a city run by corruption, its citizens have banded together to create private agencies to keep their own peace. Now its time to take your city back. Lead your agency through cases as you administer the justice the police can’t. Can you clean up the city and make your agency the best there is?
Gameplay
Players start as the head of an agency. They hire freelancers and start talking cases around town. The cases get harder over time, but the freelancers you can hire also get better. Players send out their agents to cases where they are presented with skill challenges. Skill challenges are either dice roles or a timed mini-game. Mini-games are small puzzles for the players, while skill checks are dice rolls based on a character’s stats. There are items and buffs that a player can earn over time to make things easier. The goal of the game is to keep the agency running efficiently without going bankrupt.
Review
While I did enjoy the game and concept, I don’t know if it is worth $20. There are definitely better options at this price point. I loved the flavor and the music, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out. When you compare it to other games like it, you simply have better options.
My biggest issue with the game is that after a while, gameplay started growing stale. While there is enough variety in missions to keep the game from feeling repetitive, the grind involved ruined it for me. Some of the timers felt unfair, some of the rolls were hard for no reason, and I didn’t care enough about the story to become invested. Rough Justice ’84 isn’t a bad game. If you like the flavor and don’t mind the grind or randomness, you’re going to have a better time with the title. Even if you can overlook the issues, you simply have better options. You can pick it up on Steam and the Nintendo eShop, but I would wait for a sale.
I was sent The Book of Warriorsfor free 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. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
What is The Book of Warriors
The Book of Warriorsis a cute little fantasy roguelike RPG out now for PC. Lead your party through the dungeon as you search for power, treasure, and fame. How much of the dungeon can you clear before your adventure ends?
Gameplay
You start each run by choosing a hero. There are nine different classes, each with unique abilities. Your run won’t end if you lose your initial hero. You then make your way through your dungeon, clearing procedurally generated rooms, unlocking upgrades, and recruiting heroes to your party. Upgrades, loot, and heroes you recruit are random, but occasionally you can choose the type of upgrade you can unlock. For the most part, the RNG is fair, but there are runs I lost because I was unlucky.
To clear a room, you either need to clear the room of enemies or lose your heroes. Maps will have hazards or cover that offer buffs and debuffs. Although not all the maps are fun, it does give combat enough complexity to keep things engaging.
Combat is simple. Heroes can move and perform one action per turn. The type of action changes as the characters level. The game feels a bit like a mobile game, but it is fine for the casual experience that it represents.
Like most games in this genre, the game is a little grindy, especially at later levels. You do unlock permanent upgrades the more you play, but enemies at later levels do feel like damage sponges. This is only a problem when you’re stuck on a bad run.
Thoughts
I enjoyed The Book of Warriors. The art is cute and the gameplay is relaxing. I enjoyed it for the change of pace that it offered, but I don’t see it being my main roguelike. While I appreciate the simplicity, the grind gets old after a while. You’ll get $8 worth of fun from this game, but it isn’t replacing anything in your current library. I would pick this up if you want a break from your current rotation but don’t want a massive commitment. If you enjoy tactical RPGs, or simply want to get into a new one, this is a solid option. You can pick up The Book of Warriorson Steam now for $7.99. It is currently on sale for $5.59 for the next 48 hours of writing this.
If you’re a fan of Azur Lane, you’re going to want to collect the Weiss Schwarz set. It has a lot of cool art and cards you’re going to want to collect. If you’re looking for Azure Lane, or any other Weiss Schwarz sets, pick it up at TCG Player.
I was sent the Mutant Year Zero: Ad Astra Campaign for free to cover for my blog. I haven’t had a chance to play the game because I am still finishing up my Dragonbane campaign, but I’ve read through the book. This will be my impressions of the book.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
What is Ad Astra
Ad Astrais the latest campaign book for Free League Publishing‘s TTRPG, Mutant: Year Zero releasing onf Febuary 13th. Ad Astra picks up after The Path to Eden campaign.It is recommended you own the Mutant: Genlab Alphaand Mutant: Mechatron expansions for additional rules and stats. I don’t see why you couldn’t just make up rules on the spot, but it is always nice to have balanced stat blocks at the ready. You’ll also need a copy of the core rule book, although you might get away with just using the starter booklet.
If you’re interested in running a game of Mutant: Year Zero, I recommend you pick up the starter booklet. The booklet provides a streamlined and condensed sample of the game, and it comes with a sample campaign and character sheets to get you started. I recommend you run through the starter booklet before you invest in the system. You can grab your free copy of the PDF on Drivethru RPG, but I’ll leave a copy here for your convenience.
Society has fallen. The planet has become a wasteland. Those who survive on its surface have mutated, and are now unrecognizable to their ancestors. With the resources dwindling, survivors must fight to stay alive. This time, the call to adventure takes our heroes into space. What mysteries lie beyond the stars? What adventures await? Explore the solar system and fight new monsters in this new epic adventure.
Impressions
I love the comic book style of this system, and Ad Astra is no exception. I absolutely love the flavor of this game, and space campaigns are always fun. I am never big on following prewritten adventures, but I am coming around. It is nice to have something already prepared with lore, encounters, and loot. I usually use these as a jumping-off point, but will eventually end up off-book. When that happens, it is nice to have something to fall back on when the story needs a little nudge.
I like how this book feels like a history book. It goes into a good amount of detail about factions, history, and everything you need for World Building. How much I would use it would depend on my players, but I appreciate the book for the resource that it is.
As gameplay goes, I’ll have to run a campaign first. I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Year Zero system, so if this game plays anything like Dragonbane, I am here for it.
If you are interested in a campaign of Mutant, I recommend you run the booklet first to get a sense if it’s the right game for your table. After your table has become invested, move through the rest of the resources until you’re ready to take things into space.
If you’re already playing Mutant and want to take things into space, you should consider Ad Astra. The artwork is fantastic, the flavor is great, and it introduces unique monsters, items, and mechanics you’re going to want to borrow for your campaign.
You can preorder your copy of the Ad Astracampaign on the official site for $41.80 (not including shipping), or from Amazon for $39.99 (free shipping with Prime).
