Month: June 2021

DMs Guild Review – Quite the Pickle: A Saltmarsh Adventure

A series of tavern events for levels 5-10.

A review copy of “Quite the Pickle: A Saltmarsh Adventure” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Trevor Salla

Quite the Pickle takes place in and around the Snapping Line, a classic dockside inn and tavern in the town of Saltmarsh. Though advertised as an adventure for levels 5-10, it’s more of a series of events that take place over several days and nights as the players play a game of darts, fend off a pirate attack, and rescue a waiter from a shadowy fate.

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Kickstarter Preview – Capes & Crooks: A 5e Superhero RPG

A superhero RPG based on the 5e rules from D&D.

This review has been sponsored by the publisher. Find more reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Justin Handlin, Crit Academy

I have fond memories of superhero MMOs and RPGs in the 2000s that let me run wild with character creation, such as City of Heroes, Champions Online, and Freedom Force. Re-creating my favorite heroes was one thing, but I also draw endless enjoyment from designing my own unique heroes.

Given the excellent character creator in Capes & Crooks, I was able to bring many of my beloved hero creations to life in this tabletop RPG built upon the 5e open gaming license.

This Kickstarter Review is based on pre-release playtest material.

Continue reading “Kickstarter Preview – Capes & Crooks: A 5e Superhero RPG”

DMs Guild Review – The Great Trial: Frostbite

Level 10 hex-crawl dungeon, and a stand-alone sequel to the original Great Trial.

A review copy of The Great Trial: Frostbite” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Christian Zeuch,

The Great Trial: Frostbite is a stand-alone sequel to The Great Trial, a challenging gauntlet for 10th level parties. It can be run as a follow-up adventure, or on its own, providing a more interesting hex crawl dungeon design thanks to its icy theme, warring demons, big boss battles, and roaming threats.

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Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 8 Recap

The Marshals discover the fate of the rest of the previous adventurers as they reach the summit of Kelvin’s Cairn.

Live streamed and uploaded every week on YouTube. Join us live on Fridays at 7:30 pm Pacific/10:30 pm Eastern!

Original character art by Jimmy McClure.
Music by Kevin MacLeod.
Chat with us in the Official Discord Server.
Support the channel via Patreon!

Previously on Rime of the Frostmaiden

Starring:
Valravn, level 3 Eladrin Bard of Eloquence
Fray, level 3 Halfling Barbarian of the Beast
Celeste, level 3 Half-orc Sun Soul Monk
Edmond, Level 3 Human Alchemist Artificer
Thimbleweed, level 3 Gnome Swarmkeeper Ranger

The Marshals had rescued the first of the fated party who had traveled up the mountain. Garret told a sobering story of a yeti ambush that nearly killed him, and split their party. Our heroes were determined to continue the ascent and discover the fate of the rest of that party.

Note: We’re off next week! The D&D live show will return July 9.

Continue reading “Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 8 Recap”

Goodreads Review – Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone #1)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Stop me if you’ve heard this before: young woman is talented (or super-powered) but annoyingly neurotic and passive, spending a lot of time pining over two different men in her life (at least one of whom is a childhood friend) within an oppressive sci-fi or fantasy setting.

Shadow and Bone proudly wears the clothing of a typical youthful heroine YA novel, but ultimately won me over with its intriguing fantasy world. Ravka is more war-torn than authoritatively dystopian, featuring a realm of pure magical blackness filled with nightmare creatures that divides the kingdom.

This is a world of 18th century technology (rifles!) mixed with X-Men mutants who can essentially cast unlimited spells within certain masteries, like fire, wind, or darkness. These Grisha are powerful, but carefully trained and managed by the kingdom – not hunted and down and captured like most YA novels would devolve into.

Alina is still a bit of a whip with little agency of her own most of the time, but she has a solid character arc in the first novel as she awakens to her powers, discovers the truth about the Unsea, and rediscovers her true love. It’s a quick, easy read, and ends on a high note that makes me interested in reading the rest of the series and learning more about this world.



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DMs Guild Review – Soth’s Accursed Journal

Player supplement with feats, spells, subclasses and three new classes, including a Soth-inspired Death Knight.

A review copy of “Soth’s Accursed Journal” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Matthias Gildemyn, Jan Sempels

I know a bit more about the Forgotten Realms now than when I first started playing D&D Fifth Edition back in 2015, but that knowledge still pales in comparison to the world of Dragonlance, a fantasy series I absolutely devoured in the 1990s.

Lord Soth the death knight was popular enough to get his own Ravenloft domain at one point. Now he’s the source behind a 75-page player-focused supplement on the DMs Guild, Soth’s Accursed Journal.

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DMs Guild Review – The Sea Among Fae

A narrative-focused, fey-themed mini-adventure for levels 5-10.

A review copy of “The Sea Among Fae” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: R.M. Sayan

Pirates and fey do not typically overlap. Unfortunately, The Sea Among Fae does a poor job combining its themes, creating richly defined characters and relationships that have little bearing on the mini-quest into the feywild.

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Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 7 Recap

The Marshals ascend Kelvin’s Cairn, dealing with goats, avalanches, and owlbears — oh my!

Live streamed and uploaded every week on YouTube. Join us live on Fridays at 7:30 pm Pacific/10:30 pm Eastern!

Original character art by Jimmy McClure.
Music by Kevin MacLeod.
Chat with us in the Official Discord Server.
Support the channel via Patreon!

Previously on Rime of the Frostmaiden

Starring:
Valravn, level 3 Eladrin Bard of Eloquence
Fray, level 3 Halfling Barbarian of the Beast
Celeste, level 3 Half-orc Sun Soul Monk
Edmond, Level 3 Human Alchemist Artificer
Thimbleweed, level 3 Gnome Swarmkeeper Ranger

Arriving at Kelvin’s Cairn, the party investigates the base camp and ascends the mountain, which turns into a linear dungeon crawl of enemies and hazards. And talking goats.

Continue reading “Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 7 Recap”

DriveThruRPG Review – The Anatomy of Adventure

A collection of essays on game design from writer and designer M.T. Black.

A review copy of “The Anatomy of Adventure” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: M.T. Black Games

The Anatomy of Adventure looks like an academic journal, but it’s actually a collection of essays on adventure design, marketing, and the creative process, from one of the most well-known and successful creators in the DMs Guild, M.T. Black.

Continue reading “DriveThruRPG Review – The Anatomy of Adventure”

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 6 Recap

The Marshals choose their subclasses at level three before making their way toward Kelvin’s Cairn and the Dwarven Valley.

Live streamed and uploaded every week on YouTube. Join us live on Fridays at 7:30 pm Pacific/10:30 pm Eastern!

Original character art by Jimmy McClure.
Music by Kevin MacLeod.
Chat with us in the Official Discord Server.
Support the channel via Patreon!

Previously on Rime of the Frostmaiden

Starring:
Valravn, level 3 Eladrin Bard of Eloquence
Fray, level 3 Halfling Barbarian of the Beast
Celeste, level 3 Half-orc Sun Soul Monk
Edmond, Level 3 Human Alchemist Artificer
Thimbleweed, level 3 Gnome Swarmkeeper Ranger

Level three is a big deal for most D&D classes, and we spend a good chunk of this session going over everyone’s exciting and fun new subclasses. Then it’s off toward the mountain of Kelvin’s Cairn to tackle the Mountain Climb quest, and search for the previous adventuring party.

Continue reading “Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 6 Recap”