Featuring a lighter version of the Burning Wheel system, Mouse Guard offers a heroic medieval player experience wherein players take on the role of guard mice who have volunteered to protect mouse society from any evil that may befall it. The harshness of the setting and difficulty of their tasks emphasizes how noble these volunteer mice are, and in play the game absolutely sings. Even if you've not been thrilled with Burning Wheel in the past, be sure to take a look at the review. The system changes have made it a much more accessible system, and I suspect this incarnation will work well for some groups that couldn't wrap their heads around the existing system.

Review!

I remember when the Technocracy books were released for Mage: The Ascension. On the whole I loved the group and I enjoyed the books. It was a group that was at the same time extremely sinister but entirely sympathetic, representing more of a desire for security than freedom.

With the Seers, an antagonist in Mage: The Awakening, I didn't feel the same spark I did for the technocracy. They were neat enough in base concept, though not a particularly compelling villain for me. I had high hopes that this book would do for them what the technocracy hardback did for the previous villain group. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Seers isn't a bad book, but a lot of it is a bit dull and I don't feel particularly interested in running the Exarchs as the big bad after reading Seers. That's not to say that Seers doesn't have a lot of neat ideas. It does, especially with describing the nature of the Exarchs, but these ideas aren't enough to make the book really worthwhile.

If you're a Mage fan and want to know more about the Exarchs, or even run a game where the PCs are their servants, then check out my review of Seers of the Throne.

Chad and the Evil Hat crew have brought us a real roleplaying treat in this fast paced, imaginative game of chandelier swining, heroic duels, and romantic adventure. Using a modifier version of Chad's PDQ system, the game was a lot of fun in play and gave my friends exactly the sort of experience we hoped for. If you like pirates, musketeers, and rules light RPGs then take a look at my review of Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies!

Continuing to provide additional content for the core D&D classes, Quintessential Fighter offers a wealth of new Feats, Paragon Paths, items, and general support for the fighter. While there are balance and mechanics problems lurking here and there, a few gems still shine through. Read on!

I've been enjoying 4th Edition quite a bit, far more than I ever could have predicted. I blame the people I've been playing with more than anything else, since they bring so much energy to the games, but the combat has also been a lot of fun. When I received PHB2 I was hoping the new classes would be worthwhile, and having played with them for a while now I can say that they are excellent. If you, like me, want a single supplement that offers a ton of new player options then this is the book for you. What options does it contain? Read on!

Back in October of last year I reviewed Wild Talents Essential Edition based on some really fun play sessions. I said at the time that I knew the book was receiving another editing pass before the second printing (read: non-Gen Con printing) and I was hoping some of my reservations about lack of clarity would be addressed. Thanks to the kind folk at Arc Dream I received a copy of the second printing. I still think that Wild Talents is a game that is far, far easier to learn by playing rather than reading, but I am happy to report that the sections I looked at were clearer and easier to understand.

If you've thought about picking up a new supers or general game I highly recommend Wild Talents. Especially for grittier games or for players with very active imaginations, this game can absolutely shine in play. Check out my previous review, linked above, for more.

I've had a good time playing in the 4E Realms, and while some of the changes are a little odd I can say that the setting definitely supports the classic adventuring band. My campaign has focused more on the Sword Coast, Silverymoon, and the North (my favorite areas), but I can see that this book can very easily get a campaign up and running across Abeir-Toril. Review.

The mechanical and player support for the new Forgotten Realms setting is quite nice, focusing in on heroic adventure at every opportunity. While written with the Realms in mind, there's a nice bit of material here for anyone looking for more options for a current 4E campaign. Review.

With over twenty detailed NPCs, Immortal Sinners offers Chronicle support for any of the World of Darkness lines thanks to its helpful rules summary that easily brings the reader up to speed on Vampire: The Requiem mechanics. Unfortunately, while there's a lot of material here I found little of real interest. Want to hear more? Check out the review at RPGnet here.

If you're a fan of Monsters & Other Childish Things and want to run a game set in Middle School then take a look at the expertly well done Curriculum of Conspiracy. This short supplement provides excellent adventure ideas, school maps, and enough support to easily get your campaign going. Review.

Do you love Babylon 5? Do you think Babylon 5 and Traveller could be a total blast when combined? If so, I'm afraid I have some bad news for your. Universe of Babylon 5 is a book that is filled with unrealized potential, and if there had been a fantastic editor it might have been a memorable product. As it is, though, few readers will take anything useful away from this missed opportunity. Review.

I liked Monsters and Other Childish Things quite a bit. A charming game about playing kids and the monsters that love them, it was a lot of fun in play and I dig several of the design decisions, especially the emphasis on relationships. Candlewick takes that kick butt base and makes it even better with a few interesting tweaks and a wonderfully well done setting. If you're already a fan of Monsters and want a well built setting to play around in then I highly recommend Candlewick. Review.

I'm really digging what Arc Dream and Benjamin Baugh keep coming up with. I'm very excited to see how The Kerberos Club shakes out. I got to play this at Gen Con last year and the setting was very imaginative. It really gave me the sort of weird Victorian play experience I had been wanting, and I have high hopes for the finished version.

If you don't read the BBC's "Also in the news" section then you may have missed this cute story about how a fireman saved a child in a dangerous situation, all thanks to the Spider-Man outfit he kept in his locker at the station. Take a look.

I don't normally share stories, but this one really brought a smile to my face.

Often when I post a review that's a little more controversial, not uncommon for any review scored less than an 8/10, I can receive some fairly aggressive feedback. I try to take it in stride. After all, my criticism of some author who is proud of their work is just as difficult for them to swallow as the negativity directed towards me, so fair is fair. Sometimes it can be really tough though, especially when folk start assuming I have nefarious motives of some sort or an agenda at work.

Look, most RPGs have dozens of special terms to keep straight. While most folk are writing one post at a time I'm trying to distill an entire product. Inevitably I make mistakes in the review, and I have never objected to acknowledging or correcting those mistakes. The simple fact of the matter is that I'm writing for you, the random gamer reader, and that I want you to have accurate and honest information even if I have to look foolish acknowledging corrections.

Nevertheless, I find that if I take a step back and look again I manage to find a way to remain positive even in the face of less than friendly feedback. And you know what? The vast majority of times no one wants to fight and a human connection results from the response.

I have never, ever regretted stopping and trying to be nice. It's difficult to keep that mindset up sometimes, but when I do it always pays off.

Hell is alive with excitement as the Green Sun Princes stride forth to turn Creation into an extension of Hell. With a variety of Storyteller tools that could be useful for those that need new antagonists and some enjoyable setting fiction, the game unfortunately suffers from a childish approach to evil that stresses the fun of playing protagonists that abuse their spouses, rape, and torture. Review.

What may seem at first glance like a monster book for Mage: The Awakening is actually something far more interesting. The Abyssal intruders presented are more like puzzles than monsters, and the key to defeating each one starts with research and some out of the box thinking. If you want a great resource for playing a Mage game heavy on the investigation then this is an excellent choice. Review.

This collection of antagonists for Changeling: The Lost does a great job of providing a nice variety. As a resource I'll be using it the next time I run Changeling just to add some pre-built NPCs that I can push in a darker direction whenever I need a few more plot hooks on the run. Review.

I've been really enjoying my current 4.0 campaign, though I'm sure my group will agree with me when I say that I desperately want more options for some of the classes. With one of the players kicking butt as a wizard I decided to check out Quintessential Wizard 4.0 in the hope of finding some nifty new powers. Now, I was always very cautious about third party material for 3.0/3.5. I had a *lot* of it, but I found that most of it just didn't hold up. I'm pleased to say that this isn't the case with the first Quintessential release.

Translated from Italian into English, the flow can be a little rough at times but the mechanics are a solid addition to 4.0. Wizards have many more options here, and it's much easier to build a wizard to theme than it is with just the core PHB. I especially like how they have worked some of the Metamagic Feats, asking players to burn always valuable healing surges to bring that extra umph of power into play.

The book won't wow you if you're looking for an amazing discussion of wizards, but it has a lot of solid mechanical additions for anyone playing a 4E wizard. Take a look.

I also missed updating here when my Spinward Marches review was released. While the dry language appeals to my legal mind quite a bit, the writing may be a little rough for some readers. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in sandbox play and I highly recommend it to Traveller fans. Here's the review.

Changeling fans interested in the end game, the epic game, or wrapping their heads around the True Fae will find a lot to enjoy here. With simple but flavorful new rules and some wonderful discussion of the Fae, Equinox Road is a solid choice for Storytellers that want to push their game in a higher powered, more fantastic direction. Review.

I admit it - I'm a fan of the oWoD changing breeds. They each felt fairly imaginative and interesting to me, though I admit I'm not sure the Rokea and a few of the others saw anywhere near the amount of play that the Bastet and Corax did. I was excited when I learned that White Wolf was publishing a book that brought back other shifters, though I was a little confused as well. It seems a little messy the way they've gone about it, as if they didn't really want to do this originally but marketing suggested this product would sell well. We sure do have a lot of different takes on non-werewolf shifters now.

The product is a little disappointing for me, but average overall. Most of the mechanics are implemented well, and for anyone that just wants to snag a werecat or wereraven this product will work out fine. My biggest disappointment is that I just didn't detect a lot of wonder here, and the role of these shifters is far from compelling. If you're a World of Darkness fan then check out my review here.