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 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!
This workshop is in preparation for Start Playing Games‘ Tales From the Loop play weekend coming shortly after. Players from around the world can join in on a game run by a professional DM. If you end up wanting to play a game of Tales From the Loop and don’t mind paying for a pro to run your sessions, this Lets Play Games is a great resource for your TTRPG needs.
What is Tales From the Loop
Tales From the Loop is a mystery RPG set in the 80s in an alternate timeline. The Soviets have discovered anti-gravity, and this discovery has fast-tracked innovation. There are giant robots, floating cars, and other wonders. But this technological race needs its discretion.
Governments form structures known as Loops to keep innovation a secret. But secrecy comes with a price. The sleepy mundane towns that border these Loops begin to experience inexplicable phenomena. While these strange occurrences go unnoticed by the adults, kids in these sleepy towns take it upon themselves to investigate.
Play as kids as you investigate the strange events happening around town. What truths will you and your friends uncover as you go on an adventure you’re sure to never forget?
What is Alchemy
Alchemy is a VTT that aims to enhance the theater of the mind. While you can use it to upload your own content, Alchemy VTT offers an extensive library of modules packed with animated scenes, overlays, music, and sound effects to elevate your experience. Alchemy VTT is easy to learn, use, and teach. It has accessibility features to accommodate a variety of technology, and some trigger warning features to ensure everyone is comfortable in a campaign.
I love that voice chat is integrated into the client. It’s nice to have everything in one spot. With the video chat coming soon to the platform, it’s going to be hard not to pass up on using Alchemy. There are also incoming streamer features that I am sure some of you will be excited about.
I’ve seen two modules so far, and I am impressed. Modules comes with everything a GM needs to run a game, including some catered extras to elevate the game. The art, the music, the overlays all look so good without being a distraction. If you play narrative-heavy games, this is a fantastic choice. You can have everything you need to roll and hand out, but you also have the option to include grid combat if the mood strikes. The more I play with Alchemy, the more impressed I am become with what it can do. If you have time this week to check it out, I recommend you sit in on the workshop. Be prepared to be impressed.
Impressions
This was another fantastic workshop hosted by Vinny and Dan. Vinny and Dan are great presenters who are both friendly and super helpful. The presentation is incredibly detailed and informative, but they will go out of their way to answer all your questions. It’s clear they are passionate about Alchemy, and their passion is infectious. If you’re shopping for a new VTT, you’re going to get a detailed walkthrough of the platform that should help you with your decision. If you’re looking for a new RPG, you’re getting a solid overview that will at least leave you curious. If you’re looking for a narrative-heavy game that you create with your table, this is the game for you.
The Altered TCG Kickstarter has blown its goals out of the water and is sitting comfortably at $2,951,765. It is definitely going to break four million, so make sure you back the project and grab your product while it’s at Kickstarter prices. I’ve already written about Altered in a previous post, so start there if you want to know more about the TCG.
What is Altered TCG
Altered TCG is the game that intends to revolutionize the hobby. While most games have players combat against each other, Altered has players race against each other in an adventure. Choose your faction, and with the help of allies and magic, guide your faction leader over Asgartha in what promises to be an unforgettable adventure.
Impressions
While we wait for the launch, I went and took advantage of the print-and-play starter decks available on the official site. I started with the Muna and Yzmir decks. While I found myself enjoying the Muna deck a little more, there are mechanics in both that I enjoyed. Muna felt like a more aggressive deck, but Yzmir had some nice control. I don’t think I am smart enough for Yzmir, but I am willing to try.
I will commend the team for making the factions feel different in both flavor and playstyle, and I am curious to see what the rest of the factions have in store. I haven’t quite found the faction I want to main yet.
Altered feels like the perfect blend of board game and TCG. The game is easy to learn and understand, and it has some terrific flavor. I need to play a bit more, but here are some things that I like so far:
There aren’t any mana issues. At the start of your turn, you can discard cards into your mana zone and summon allies or cast spells using those cards. There is nothing worse than losing a game because you can’t play the game because you can’t find the right mana.
You don’t lose the game when you run out of cards, which means you can’t get milled. I am a little conflicted with this one because I love building mill decks in whatever game I play, but I play a lot of Pokemon where I mill myself because I am not paying attention. I would definitely mill out here so I appreciate the buffer.
The Reserve is an awesome mechanic. In Altered, creatures you summon need to rest, or leave the battlefield at the end of the day (turn). Unless they have the anchored ability, cards you cast go to your reserved zone. This is an extra zone that you can cast from. You can change up the cards that live in your reserve, and this will open up the game for some very cool plays.
The art is fantastic. The more I look at it, the more I appreciate the flavor and style that went into this game. I just want to crack some packs and hold these in my hands!
If you’re looking for a new TCG that is unlike anything you’ve played before and is fun, I recommend you check out the Altered Kickstarter. There are 13 days left for the campaign, so make sure you go back it now!
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Free League Publishing is teaming up with Start Playing Games and Alchemy RPG for another free learn-to-play workshop this week! GMs and players interested in running the critically acclaimed Tales From the Loop should join this free event for a hands-on look at both the system and the innovative tabletop. If this workshop is anything like the Vaesen event hosted last year, it’s going to be worth your time. To sign up, make sure you sign up on the official page, and have an Alchemy account ready to go. You don’t need to download the client, you can run it from your browser.
Fans of the Netflix series Stranger Things should look into running this system. The adventure is based on kids exploring an alternate timeline in the 80s where a mysterious corporation has moved into town with a series of strange phenomena following close behind. What strange secrets will you and your friends uncover in this retro sci-fi adventure?
What is Alchemy RPG
Alchemy RPG is a virtual tabletop whose goal is to enhance the theater of the mind experience. The VTT offers a growing library of RPGs and events with specially crafted modules for GMs to run the game. These modules will have a collection of sounds, music, and animated backgrounds to help a GM run their game. With integrated voice chat and character sheets, it makes things easy for players and GMs to connect through the system they love. There is an integrated video chat feature and streamer support coming to the platform, so there is a lot to be excited for.
I got to use it briefly with Vaesen and enjoyed using it. It was easy to use, to learn, and it had a lot of the features I needed. I like that I could add grid-based combat whenever I needed it. You don’t need to buy the modules to run a game in Alchemy, but it makes things a whole lot easier. After you see everything the modules come with, you’re going to want to buy them anyways. I’ll be joining and posting a review as soon as I can.
If you’re looking for a new system, make some time to check out the free Tales From the Loop. If you need a hard copy of the rule book, get it over at Amazon ($39.40) or the official website ($51.35)! If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow and share this with your friends.
I was sent Titanic: A Space Between 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.
Titanic: A Space Between is a horror VR game playable on Steam VR, Pico, and the Meta Quest 2 and 3. Play as a time traveler investigating the disappearance of a woman named Diana on the famous ship as it sinks. Solve puzzles, follow clues, and survive the most famous shipwreck in history. But there is something strange that lurks in this past. Can you solve the mystery and make it back to your own time alive?
Gameplay
This is an exploration horror game where players move through the narrative by searching for clues and solving puzzles as the ship sinks. The version I received is still in development, and was still a bit too unstable to be enjoyable.
Thoughts
The game isn’t done and this puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, the concept is interesting, and I am invested in finding out what happened to Diana. On the other, the build of the game I received is unplayable.
The game is buggy, and a few of the games broke the game. I tried to record a video, but that made the game more unstable. I got to a point in the game where I wasn’t able to advance because the mechanics didn’t work and I didn’t want to start over. I am willing to excuse bugs and glitches, but here it felt like I was fighting with the game more than I was enjoying it.
Poor performance aside, Titanic: A Space Between is a cool concept for a game. It has an interesting story, it looks good, the voice acting is fantastic, and I love the flavor. The game also has some solid horror baked throughout. With a few more patches, I can see myself returning because I want to know what happened to Diana, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.
The game releases on the Meta App Lab on February 13th, pick it up then if you’re looking for a spooky Titanic adventure and don’t mind playing through the bugs.
Acent Ontario was this weekend, and it was pretty cool to watch the game in action. I’ve put together the top 3 decks from the tournaments, and left links to the singles for those interested. If you need any Grand Archive, like the newest Alchemical Revolution set, get it over at TCG Player.
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
With only a few sessions left in my Dragonbanecampaign, I think now is a great time to release the review. Please note that I did receive a free copy of the pdf and foundry module, but I was planning on at least running the quickstart guide eventually. That said, 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.
Dragonbane is a fantasy tabletop RPG based in the Mysty Vale It features unique races, an interesting combat/initiative system, and a less limiting class/character creation system than a traditional RPG. The game is easy to pick up, and fun to play once you’ve adapted to the Year Zero engine.
Initiative
Dragonbane uses cards for initiative, and I love this system. While I love rolling dice, nothing beats the randomness of drawing cards. While some characters and creatures might go multiple times in a round, there are no initiative bonuses in Dragonbane. Instead, the creature or player who pulls the lowest card goes first.
This order isn’t fixed. Players can switch initiative cards with each other or enemies for an advantage, and the initiative resets after each turn. It felt like my players were no longer waiting around for their next turn, but instead were adapting to change, or planning to gain the advantage.
Combat
I love the combat system in Dragonbane. As a GM, I love how the system handles monsters. Monsters come with a roll table of abilities and attacks they can perform each turn. During a monster’s turn, GMs roll for the action. The randomness of this system makes combat a lot more exciting. I either roll for the TPK (I never did), or I waste a turn on a useless debuff. There are some monsters I’d tweak for future campaigns, but combat generally had enough fun and suspenseful drama.
From a player’s perspective, I love how strategic the action economy is. A player can use their action to attack, aid a party member, or evade/parry an attack. I like that players aren’t waiting around for damage, but can instead use their action to mitigate it. Waiting and evading a deadly attack is so satisfying.
Classes
It’s important to note that classes in Dragonbane are more like templates. While other systems limit the abilities and skills available to a character based on their class, Dragonbane gives players the freedom to play their character how they want. Classes in Dragonbane are only really to help players allocate their proficiencies and skill points.
After a player starts the adventure, players have the freedom to allocate skill points wherever they want. This means you can be a wizard who is proficient at swords, or a knight who can cast magic (depending on how your world handles magic). To people coming from other systems, some of the classes will feel underwhelming, but I always let my players change their character if they don’t like what they come up with the first time.
Leveling
Leveling in Dragonbane is based on five questions:
✦ Did you participate in the game session? ✦ Did you explore a new location? ✦ Did you defeat one or more dangerous adversaries? ✦ Did you overcome an obstacle without using force? ✦ Did you give in to your weakness? (Optional)
At the end of the session, the GM asks players these questions. I didn’t use the optional rule for my campaign because we didn’t want to deal with keeping track of weaknesses. For every yes, players get a point they can spend on attempting to level one of their skills. They then roll a D20 for every skill they want to level. If they roll a number higher than their skill, the skill increases by 1.
There will be sessions where players will level every skill they roll against, and in others, they won’t get any. The higher the level, the harder it is to upgrade which is what gives the game the system its balance. My players loved this system because they got to roll dice, and they had the freedom to customize their character to fit their plays tyle.
I loved the questions because they forced my players to play differently. My player who didn’t usually participate was suddenly roleplaying and encounters that would have usually resulted in murder were resolved peacefully. It was such a nice shift, but it also meant I needed to be ready for anything.
Adventure
The prewritten adventure is a great way to get you started in the system. GMs get access to a well-structured template of adventures, and players get a solid sense of what to expect from the system.
The adventure is a collection of quests loosely tied by lore, but they can exist independently. I changed a lot from the adventure because that’s how our narrative flows. If you’re thinking of running Dragonbane, and don’t know where to start, the adventure in the core book is fantastic. Like all prewritten adventures, use it as a template, and don’t be afraid to go off-script.
I always start with these prewritten adventures, but we usually veer way off and have a lot of fun doing so. This adventure was no different. I liked the adventure. The flavor was good, the lore was neat, the encounters felt balanced, and there was enough content for a long campaign.
Conclusion
We had a lot of fun with Dragonbane, and it’s going to be hard switching to another system. With the new Beastiary coming out in March, I’ve got a few more sessions planned, so it isn’t goodbye just yet.
I loved how easy it was to jump into this system and pick up all the rules. I love how easy of a transition it was from 5th Edition. Some mechanics took some time to get used to, but nothing that I would call impossible. It has a neat leveling system, a fun combat system, and unparalleled freedom in character creation.
If you are looking for a fantasy TTRPG, you need to look into Dragonbane. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, or just needs a break from 5th Edition burnout. Pick up your copy of the rule book in PDF from Drivethru RPG ($24.99), but the art is so beautiful you’re going to want a physical. You can pick up your physical copy from the official site ($41.98 +shipping) or Amazon ($49.99 shipping included.) It is currently on sale on Amazon for $45.69.
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.
