Tag Archives: tabletop gaming

Review of Urban Shadows: The Urban Fantasy RPG

Disclaimer

I was sent a free copy of the Urban Shadows 2E core book 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. I will also be using my amazon affiliate links when possible. Always support your LGS, but using my link helps me out!

What is Urban Shadows?

Urban Shadows is an award winning TTRPG that just received its second edition.

In large metropolitan cities, a supernatural society operates in the shadows. Unbeknownst to the average citizen, there is an ever presence conflict between four warring factions as they try to gain dominion over the city. The balance of power is in a state of constant flux, and the political landscape of the city is forever shifting. Fate, chance, or whatever you want to call it has brought you into the this world, and it is up to you to find your place within it. Make deals, earn and pay off your social debts, and climb your way up the ladder. Who will you become? How will you shape the cities narrative? How will you let the city shape you?

The Gist of It

This is a massive book, but the gist is this:

In Urban Shandows, players navigate the complex social network of the supernatural society of a major city. They must broker deals, climb the social ladder, and most importantly, operate in the shadows.

Whatever the city, there are four factions that fight over its dominion: Mortalis, Night, Power, and Wild.

Mortalis are the humans that find themselves in the world, either by chance or by choice. Some hunt the monsters that roam the night. Others smuggle supernatural items to sell for a profit. Others play with the idea of giving up their humanity to join this world permanently.

Power is full of the people who can wield the magic of this world. It is full of the wizards, oracles, and immortals who seek to gain more power from this world.

Night is the faction of people who have been transformed into a supernatural creature of the night, and must wrestle with this new found identity. These are the vampires, werewolves, and ghosts of the city and the smaller sects that form within them.

Wild is the faction that lives on the fringes of society that wield powerful ancient magics that rival the other factions. These are the faeries, demons, and constructs that roam the city’s shadows.

The important thing is that these factions have an established hierarchy, and the players must find their place within it. The faction a player starts with, doesn’t have to be the one they end in. They don’t even have to be the same character, there is a mechanic that allows players to retire. Climbing is not easy, and it isn’t black and white. While players can fight their way through the city for territory, there are more diplomatic approaches that might prove more efficient. Trying to change an outcome with emotion or persuasion instead of fists is just as viable, if not more. The city is always moving and changing, and players need to adapt to keep up. Whether they can shake up the foundation of the city is up to a few actions and a couple dice roles. Within those four factions are 12 unique classes for players to choose from. Each class feels unique and gives players abilities to help them navigate their social mobility. There is a lot of flavor in this game, and while you can adjust your narrative to fit your vision, the book has a lot of valuable helpful examples to get a newer Master of Ceremony (game master) started.

What sets the game apart is the focus on urban fiction, which takes players to the streets of their favorite cities at any time in history. Want to start in the present and time skip to a time of calamity? Go for it! The landscape may be in constant flux, but the narrative belongs to the city.

The Book

Review

Urban Shadows is a very good resource for any new game master, even if you don’t plan on running the game itself. The amount of resource, examples, and detail that make this book the hefty beast that it is can easily be translated into other systems. The book spells out every mechanic and feature in a way that is easy to read and understand, and is filled some very cool art to break up the information.

The game is powered by the apocalypse system, and the system is easy to learn and teach. This is important, especially for newer players who just want to hop into the game and not worry about intricate nuances. The game has its complexity, but I feel like there was less time spent arguing about rules, and more time enjoying the world and story for what it is.

Character creation is easy with the class system, and every class feels balanced and unique. More testing is required of course, but it all felt fine for the bit that was done. I like that the game doesn’t have to revolve around combat (it can), and how creative solutions to problems can be. The death and retirement system is interesting. The on death abilities each class has makes death sting a little less, and I like that players can retire a character if they just want to try something new.

What is important to note about the system is that it is going to be a bit more roleplay heavy. Yes dice rolls will sway the narrative, but you are going to have to ask for favors, or gather clues, or broker deals in a way that is limited by your social standing. For people who are more interested in the political side of roleplay, this is a great choice with lots of room for good story telling.

If you enjoy physical media, the book is a fantastic addition to any collection. Its a good quality book with some great illustrations. As far as resource books go, you’ll have everything you need to run a good campaign. There are helpful examples, tables, and a couple cities. There is an appendix with a bunch of charts and tables for the GM that needs to create an meaningful encounter on the fly.

I’ve read a few different resource books and nothing comes close to how detailed this book is. For veteran game masters, it is a little over kill. But for those just starting out in the space, it doesn’t get any better. When I started my journey, I did hours of research. A lot of what I’ve learned is packaged neatly in this book, and while there is lot a GM will learn through practice, its a great place to start.

Urban Shadows is a little too RP heavy for my table, but we had fun running it. We enjoyed how easy everything was to pick up, and the flavor is sound. I ran my games in San Francisco because that is the city I know best, but the borrowed a couple of the examples in the books to fill its underworld. I really enjoyed the shift to Urban Fantasy. We play a lot of high fantasy with the occasional scifi story, and it was nice to explore a modern city with modern problems and a supernatural element. I’d absolutely come back to the system if prompted because there is a lot of room for good story telling, and some very epic moments.

Urban Shadows is a solid TTRPG. If you like werewolves and vampires and mitigating the intricacies of social advancement, I don’t think you can find anything better than Urban Shadows.

You can pick up Urban Shadows and related products on the official Magpie store, and on DriveThru RPG if you don’t care about physical media.

I ran Session Zero of my Mutant: Year Zero Campaign

Disclaimer

I was sent a free copy of Mutant: Year Zero core rulebook to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. These will be my honest impressions of the game.

What is Mutant: Year Zero

Mutant: Year Zero is an RPG about surviving the end of the world. After humanity has been descimated by plague and war. Those left on this dying planet have developed strange mutations and must fight to survive. Factions have formed, some creating new life on the ruins of the old cities, others roam the Zone in search of survival. You are one of the lucky few to venture into this rotting landscape in search of a new way to survive. What secrets will you uncover? What stories will create?

Why Session Zero?

After taking a short break for life events, our play group got back together for a new campaign, and a new system. We were all excited to be back together, and even more excited to start our new adventure. I’ve learned the importance of hosting a Session Zero before the start of a new campaign over my short life as a game master. Session Zero is the space where the group can talk about rules and expectations (because we all have the right to a safe space to roleplay), and create our characters.

I like to have my players create their characters together because we’re a play group of busy dads, and I don’t want to give them homework. Since I am always jumping between systems and platforms, my players always have questions, and it is nice to have a space where we can learn things together. It also helps break the ice as they start planning their characters. Some players come with ideas and building takes seconds, others will take their time to do it during the session. We have fun talking about different mechanics and characteristics.

After we create our characters, I like to slowly introduce mechanics. I give them a space to Roleplay to help them get into the space, I through some checks and a bit of combat to give them a taste of what is to come. Depending on how long the planning session takes, I try not overwhelm my players with too much content on the first day.

I used to skip session zero and go strait into the first game. I’ve learned that having that space where we can jokes around, answer questions, and build our characters gets us ready for the upcoming adventure and gets us started on a strong note.

Impressions

Setting up for our Mutant campaign was easy. The book lays the character creation process clearly, and using the official Alchemy RPG module made things even easier. Most of my players created their character from scratch, but one of my players edited one of the premade characters. How balanced each method is yet to be seen. The most exciting part of character creation is rolling for the mutation. Mutations are random and permanent in this game, and that first gamble of the game shapes a players identity. At least it did at my table.

I very much appreciate how each player focused on a different part of the book. One was more interested in the lore, another the mechanics, and together we were able to answer most questions. I found the more we talked about the game, the more excited we grew. My players are itching to use their mutations and explore this new world, and I can’t wait to run it for them.

I am running the included Path to Eden adventure, and so far, I’m hooked. The lore is interesting, and I like that it gives me the freedom to create the adventure I want between the meta narrative its left for me. I will need to do a bit more digging, but so far, we are happy with the system. Stay tuned to see if that changes.

You can pick up the Mutant: Year Zero Core Rulebook on the official Free League Publishing website.

Ruins of Sybaroum 5e: Adventure Compendium – Complete Review

Introduction

I ran the Ruins of Sybaroum 5e recently at my table. It’s been a while since I’ve ran 5e and we wanted to make our return. Ruins of Symbaroum offered a different enough setting and flavor that we made our plunge and start with the Adventure Compendium. I did buy this book with my own money, and ran it using the official Alchemy RPG module (also purchased with my own money). This review will be on both the game and the module. You can pick up a copy of the Adventure Compendium on the official Free League Publishing site or your favorite game store. You can also pick it up through my Amazon Affiliate link. It really helps me out. I’ll be leaving affiliate links where I can.

What is Ruins of Sybaroum 5e: Adventure Compendium?

The adventure compendium is a 5e compatible adventure that takes players from levels 1-8. If you’re planning to run any of the other pre-written adventures in this series, or are a new DM, this is the place to start.

The Adventure Compendium is a collection of adventures that lets players not only explore the world of Symbaroum, but get a taste of the different types of adventures. There are witch hunts, murder mysteries, escort missions, and a few other neat surprises. You will need access to at least the OGL ruleset, but it doesn’t hurt to have a Gamemaster’s Guide. Things like the Ruins of Symbaroum Core Setting Book, Player’s Guide, and Beastiary are nice to have, but you can run this game with just the OGL.

The Module

Alchemy RPG is a VTT that focuses on enhancing Theater of the Mind campaigns. It can be used to run combat and it has tools to run battle maps, but the modules main job is to set the mood with its cool visuals and atmospheric soundscape.

The Adventure Compendium Module is fine, but it is incomplete. Buying other modules will make prep easier, but hombrewing what you need isn’t hard, just time consuming. If this is your first VTT, buying into it isn’t going to be a problem. It is reasonably priced with a clean UI that is simple and easy to use. As far as substance goes, the visuals for the module are cool, but not the real reason you’re buying the game. You can always supplement the module with your own content for free. I found the font too small to read, and I don’t like that you can’t move or resize any of the windows. It be nice to be able to move the notes around to move characters.

Combat in this module works fine. If you like to use maps, the experience feels a bit lacking. Resizing maps feels a bit clunky (but better than Roll20) and the maps included with the module aren’t very optimized. They work well enough if you ever need to run something quick, but Foundry VTT does it better. If you don’t care about maps, it’s great. Setting up the encounter is easy, and every chapter is neatly divided so you only get the stat blocks you need. I don’t think the included visuals and sounds did much to enhance combat, but setting up your own scenes with music and visuals is easy and quick.

Alchemy is a solid VTT for those who want to focus on the story and don’t care much about combat. It is free to try (with a few limitations), but you can start with the module if you want to support the publisher and want the convenience the module provides. You can run the game without the module, but it is a little time consuming.

The Book

If you’re a new Gamemaster with new players looking for a darker grittier adventure, the Adventure Compendium is a great place to start. The book has solid pacing and a good variety of actives to get things started.

The world of Symbaroum is very unforgiving and will wipe a careless party. GMs can always tweek and change an adventure to fit their table, but the adventure is supposed to be harsh. Monsters are supposed to be strong, resources are supposed to be scarce, and the danger is supposed to be feel real. Games like these seem to have more meaningful moments of epic heroism, but the table needs to be in the mood for it. Changing survival mechanics and re-balancing combat is always fine, but it takes away a bit of the spirit of the campaign. As it turns out, we weren’t really in the mood for a more serious campaign and we couldn’t form that connection. Lowering the difficulty to allow room for shenanigans made it not as good.

But, just because the game didn’t fit the flavor of our campaign, it doesn’t mean it won’t fit yours. The Adventure Compendium does a fantastic job at being an intro product, and with a good amount of difficulty to keep things grim. It does feel like it is geared towards newer GMs and players (it could be a lot harder) and that is perfectly fine. The stories it tells are also fine, but not a real reason to buy this book. If you want to explore the world of Symbaroum and don’t need the crutch, you can try starting with the setting book instead. I’ll be doing a full review at some point so stay tuned.

Universus TCG: Heroes of Exandria: Beau Starter Deck List

Introduction

Universus just released their Heroes of Exandria set and that means we got the Beauregard Starter deck list! Always support your LGS, but you can pick up your copy on TCG Player or GameNerdz using my affiliate links.

Decklist

Beauregard Lionett, Looking for a Brawl

4 x Swift Change
3 x Subdual Technique
3 x Strong Windup
4 x Radiant Visage
4 x Mystic Recovery
4 x Martial Prowess
4 x Everlight’s Grace
3 x Combat Evaluation
4 x A Day for Relaxing
2 x Spireling Fetch
3 x Upward Disarming Swing
4 x Staff Crack
2 x Predators Pounce
4 x Heavy Kick
2 x Great-Axe Chop
4 x Furious Charge
2 x Quest Board
2 x Peerless Footwork (Foil)
2 x Shoulder Toss (Foil)

Visual List

Universus TCG: Heroes of Exandria – Percy Starter Deck List

Where to Buy

Always support your LGS, but you can pick up the Percy Starter Deck and any other Heroes Exandria products on TCG Player using my affiliate links. It really helps me out. You can also get both Starter decks bundled for cheap on Game Nerdz if you’re buying enough for the free shipping.

Introduction

Universus just released their Heroes of Exandria set, and it is already my favorite set of the year. The art is great, the card quality is nice, and flavor is all there. Fans of the series will want to at the very least get in on collecting. Can’t speak on the power level since I just got the starter decks, but I’ll come back after some proper testing. More on that later.

I got my hands on the Percy starter deck and I’ll leave the decklist for your convenience. Spoilers, you’re going to want to get this deck just to collect the beautiful Percy champion card. It’s not as cool as the art cards, but its cool enough for any collection.

Deck List

Champion

Percival De Rolo III: Pepperbox Sharpshooter

The Deck

4x Weapon at the Ready
4 x Tarot Reading
4 x Show Off
4 x Inspired Design
4 x Imprisoned Noble
4 x Found Family
2 x Electric Resilience
4 x Collecting Components
2 x Shaun Gilmore
4 x Tinker Shot
4 x Pepperbox Fire
2 x Merciless Lead
3 x Golem Beating
3 x Bang Bang
3 x Alchemical Satchel Toss
3 x The List
2 x Quest Board
2 x Science Bros (Foil)
2 x Bad News Bullet (Foil)

Visual List

Grand Archive TCG – Guo Jia Re:Collection Deck List

Introduction

Abyssal Heavey has officially released, and that means we finally have the Guo Jia, Heaven’s Favored Re:Collection Deck list

If you’re new, Re:Collection decks are Grand Archive’s premium product that come with a high quality deck box, dragonshield art sleeves, three packs special packs, and a competitive deck. The box also includes a play set of all the cards in the deck so you don’t need to buy multiple copies, unless you want to chase that sweet collector rare:

You can wait for opened boxes and the prices to dip, but historically, you aren’t saving much. Especially if the deck defines the meta like Silvie did. If you’re starting out, the hardest part is choosing what flavor you want but either deck is a solid place to start. Always support your LGS, but you can pick up the Guo Jia, Heaven’s Favored Re:Collection Deck on TCG Player through my affiliate link. Get in before you’re paying scalper prices.

The Deck List

Material Deck
1 x Spirit of Fire
1 x Guo Jia, Chosen Disciple
1 x Guo Jia, Blessed Scion
1 x Guo Jia, Heaven’s Favored
1 x Fabled Azurite Fatestone
1 x Portentious Tanggu
1 x Fated Keepsake
1 x Rousing Rattle Drum
1 x Life Essence Amulet
1 x Tariff Ring
1 x Band of Burning Verdict
1 x Incandescent Reliquary

Main Deck
4 x Foraging Fox
4 x Fatestone of Revelations
4 x Companion Fatestone
4 x Craggy Fatestone
4 x Lavaplume Fatestone
4 x Fatestone of Unrelenting
4 x Journey’s Beginning
4 x Strengthen the Bonds
2 x Obscuring Threads
3 x Expel the Departed
2 x Idle Thoughts
4 x Broken Promises
2 x Shatter the Brittle
2 x Flamewreath Call
3 x Advent of the Shenju
3 x Peacock of Prosperity
4 x Fatestone of Heaven
3 x Light the Hunt

Main Deck (Visual)

Main Deck (Visual)

Grand Archive: New Set Announced at Ascent Toronto

Grand Archive’s newest set has been announced! While not much was revealed, we do have a name and the new RE:Collection decks.

Changes to the Proxia Vault

I think the most important announcement this time around is the change to the Proxia Vault policy. All Proxia Vault cards can be proxied indefinitely! Originally, the rule was that these cards could be proxied for the first year of release before having to use official cards. The problem with this rule is that official Proxia Vault cards aren’t accessible to everyone. Now players are free to print their own proxies and even commission their custom versions!

Kongming Deckbox

New Mortal Ambition Draft Format!

Mortal Ambition was meant to be draftable. Special draft packs will be released for events where player will get packs of world themed relics and three packs of Mortal Ambition. Santa Clara will be the first event to host Mortal Ambition drafts, so make sure you get your tickets while they are still available.

Alchemical Revolution Altered Edition

Abyssal Heaven Announced

The newest set, Abyssal Heaven, has been announced for March 7th 2025. This will be an expansion set featuring eight-card packs and a continuation of the Mortal Ambition world.

New RE:Collection Decks!

Two new RE:Collection decks were just announced, and I am extremely hyped. The last RE:Collection decks were incredible products, so make sure you have yours preordered as soon as they become available. These new decks will release with Abyssal Heaven so make sure you load up!

Star Realms Frontiers is a Great Deck Building Experience

I was sent a free copy of Star Realms: Frontier 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 want to pick up Star Realms or 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: Frontiers does 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.

Grand Archive TCG: Kongming Starter Deck List

If you’re trying to pick up the Kongming deck, make sure you always support your LGS. If that isn’t an option, you can find it over on TCG Player through my affiliate link.

If you’re looking for unique sleeves or deck boxes to keep your cards safe, get them over at Gem Accessories. Use discount code churapereviews10 at checkout for 10% off your order.


Material Deck

  • Spirit of Water
  • Kongming, Wayward Maven
  • Kongming, Ascetic Vice
  • Kongming, Fel Eidolon
  • Bauble of Abundance
  • Fan of Seven Debts
  • Life Essence Amulet
  • Shard of Empowerment
  • Tariff Ring
  • Sweet Ambrosia
  • Coronal of Rejuvenation
  • Entrancing Filigree

Main Deck

  • Ardent Cloudstriker x 4
  • Formidable Youxia x 4
  • Harmonious Mantra x 4
  • Heighten Spellcraft x 4
  • Idle Thoughts x 2
  • Spirited Neophyte x4
  • Wisdom’s Reprise x 3
  • Cone of Frost x 3
  • Coriolis Ward x 4
  • Hydroguard Retainer x 3
  • Rising Tides x 3
  • Taiji of Crystal Strategems x 4
  • Tsunami of Nanyue x 3
  • Water Barrier x 2
  • Devoted Bloomweaver x 4
  • Leeching Bolt x 3
  • Planar Abyss x 1
  • Ruinous Pillars of Qidao x 2
  • Tera Sight x 3

Grand Archive TCG: Mortal Ambition Season Promos Revealed!

Ascent Singapore was this weekend, and we got some juicy spoilers. If you’re planning to play in the Mortal Ambition competitive season, the promos have been revealed.  

Revelfest Reminder

This is your friendly reminder that Revelfest is happening October 4th – 11th. This is your chance to earn some bonus veterancy and to win a copy of that beautiful Tariff Ring Alt. Only 200 lucky winners will get a copy, and you only need to play once to be entered. Playing in multiple events doesn’t increase your chances.

Judge Promo

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Ascendant

Ascent Top 32