DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Other comments left for this publisher:
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
DDAL07-10 Fire, Ash, and Ruin (5e)
by Roger M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/18/2024 09:20:51

My players loved just being murderhobos last night. Except for part 1 there is little role playing or anything else except kill everything. The magical darkness was fun for me.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
DDAL07-10 Fire, Ash, and Ruin (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
by Per [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/15/2024 01:35:50

A fair attempt at re-starting/boosting the world of Greyhawk, but not as vital as From The Ashes imo. It is well-written and interesting, and the adventure maps booklet is a clever addition.

The PDF comes in two parts: i) the 128-page book, and ii) the adventure maps booklet.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
From the Ashes (2e)
by Per [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/15/2024 01:31:18

Excellent, and well-written, addition to - and expansion of - the Greyhawk world. Nice scan as well! A bargain! :)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
From the Ashes (2e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
B1 In Search of the Unknown (Basic)
by Douglas [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/13/2024 12:30:23

Like much of the older D&D stuff, this was originally designed with a removable cover where the maps were printed on the inside. The module itself is a fairly straightforward introduction to the game for players and attempts to demonstrate to DMs how to populate a dungeon with treasure and monsters, but isn't entirely remarkable in helping a new DM otherwise.

POD of course prints the maps on the pages rather than utilizing the format of the original publication. Although the maps don't suffer from the binding issue other modules in these series have, it's still less easy to use. If you really want this, go for the PDF and print anything you think you need. If you must have PoD, I still recommend plotting the map pages for ease of use.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
B1 In Search of the Unknown (Basic)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
B2 The Keep on the Borderlands (Basic)
by Douglas [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/13/2024 12:26:04

For the most part, this is a decent scan of the original, with a few caveats. They use the original font type and such and it doesn't always come out well for the PDF, but overall I wouldn't complain about it.

POD wasn't bad either, however note the original had a removable cover and inside that was a map printed on the inside cover. The POD just slaps this map in the print itself and the middle is lost in the binding. If you really need a POD you can, but you're better off finding a way to print the cover and main map yourself and not lose information. I'm finding this to be somewhat common in many of these early-day D&D books which is definitely a downside to an otherwise decent POD



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
B2 The Keep on the Borderlands (Basic)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
A0-A4: Against the Slave Lords (1e)
by Geoffrey [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/13/2024 03:12:50

Great print, cheers guys, now they are also printed in Australia, so quicker and cheaper delivery!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
A0-A4: Against the Slave Lords (1e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
DDIA05 Storm King's Thunder: A Great Upheaveal (5e)
by Dustin W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/08/2024 15:56:10

Being that rune magic in 5e is my favorite type of magic, and I love giants as a whole, I'm glad to get even more of what I love!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
DDIA05 Storm King's Thunder: A Great Upheaveal (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Adventure with Muk (5e)
by Dustin W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/07/2024 16:10:44

This story is pretty well for children, but it was still a pleasant delight to run through in a night without having a bunch of drama mixed up in a story.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Adventure with Muk (5e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
X MARKS THE SPOT A Plane Shift: Ixalan Adventure
by Dustin W. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/07/2024 16:07:07

As someone who loves Magic: The Gathering, being able to find an "Official" story written by WotC just makes me happy, and I'm glad it's well written too!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
X MARKS THE SPOT A Plane Shift: Ixalan Adventure
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
FR8 Cities of Mystery (2e)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/07/2024 14:48:59

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2024/03/reviews-cities-of-forgotten-realms.html

FR8 Cities of Mystery

by Jean Rabe. Art Larry Elmore (cover), Dennis Kauth (buildings), Christopher T. Miller (interior art). Editing Kim Mohan. Product Manager Bruce Heard.

  1. Boxed Set and PDF. 64 page book, 2 large 25mm compatible maps, 4 6-page card stock buildings.

This is a fascinating product, and there is a lot going on here. I am reviewing my boxed set for this. There is a PDF and a softcover Print on Demand from DriveThruRPG as well.

What do I love about it? Well, for starters, that Larry Elmore cover is one of my favorite covers of all time. Really. I love how if looks and while the old adage is true, this cover made want to buy this product. When my old DM and I talked about our "Urban Survival Guide," this was the cover we thought about.

Also it came out in the liminal time between 1st Ed and 2nd Ed with a note on the cover that is was compatible with both. That is not entirely true. It is broad enough to be compatible with ANY fantasy RPG that has a city. There are almost no game stats here save for the adventures at the end.

In truth this product should have been called "City System" since that is what it is. This not about Waterdeep except in the most broad of terms.

The first part is a 64-page book that covers all sorts of details on building your city. This includes details like where it is (and how that changes the city), how big is it, taxes, defences, the government. Everything that was laid out for you in the Waterdeep and the North and City System sets are now up to you to figure out.

There is also a section how make Characters work in a city based adventure. Honestly that would have been the gold right there.

The rules are put to use in Sauter, City by the Sea, and there are five mini-adventures to help the DM and Players along. Honestly I want to run the Maltese Roc based on the name alone.

If that were all then yes, this would be a fine product. Not great, but added to the Waterdeep and the North and City System books it would make a great trilogy of playing in the city (sounds like a Stevie Wonder album). But that is not all there is.

There are two large double-sided maps for 25mm scale minis and four packages of 6-page cardstock building to build.

This is from 1989. D&D would not get this mini-focused for another 11 years. And it all still works with any edition you care to play with it. I read that this was going to be the first of some similar products to expand the cities even further. But honestly I am not surprised that there were not more. This looks like an expensive thing to make.

For the PDFs you would need to print out the maps and buildings to build them. I would glue them to some cardstock or print them on cardstock if your printer can do that. The advantage of the PDF and this system? As long as you can print, you can have as many of these buildings as you need.

Looking at All Three City Sets

FR1 Waterdeep and the North, City System, and FR8 Cities of Mystery are all great for that late 80s feel of the Forgotten Realms AD&D.

While each product is good individually and does what it sets out to do, one of the others points out its minimal shortcomings. Combined, they work fantastically together. So well, it makes me wonder whether I even need to leave the city!

Regardless of what city in the Realms becomes my home base (I am still partial to Baldur's Gate, but Waterdeep might win me over) I have the tools and the means to expand on it all.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
FR8 Cities of Mystery (2e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
City System (1e)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/07/2024 14:48:54

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2024/03/reviews-cities-of-forgotten-realms.html

City System by Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb, Editing: Karen Boomgarden, Typography: Betty Elmore, Cover Art: Larry Elmore, Keylining: Stephanie Tabat, Cartography: Dennis Kauth and Frey Graphics.

  1. PDF and Print on Demand. Full color covers and maps.

Again this one takes a lot of work from a lot of people. This book follows quickly on the heels of FR1 Waterdeep and the North. It was a boxed set, but for this review I am considering my PDF and Print on Demand versions from DriveThruRPG.

There is some repeated information in this set from the Waterdeep set. For example the entire legal code on Page 7 of this product is the same to the one in FR1 Waterdeep and the North starting on page 18. I am not 100% sure if I mind this though. I mean in truth back in 1988 this might have bothered me, but now? Well, I have the PDFs I could print them out and put them into a big binder called "Waterdeep" and organize how I see fit. I might do that in fact.

This book is more like a tourist directory to Waterdeep. The laws are discussed, the buildings are numbered and given a name. The BIG attraction to this set are the maps (which are printed here and given as a separate ZIP file.) Well, the Larry Elmore cover is striking as all hell to be honest.

If you like random tables then this is your book. Lots of tables on encounters, goods, items gained from pick-pocketing, and more.

Ignoring the use of this as an independent product it makes for a great addition to FR1 Waterdeep and the North. The two together would be a perfect product really. Looking ahead to my other Forgotten Realms books I see I don't actually have a giant map of Waterdeep. Should I rectify this? The maps in this product are gorgeous, and it would be worth my time, effort, and money to get them combined and professionally printed. Or burn through my printer ink to do it on my own and mount them to some cardboard with Scotch tape. Depends on how much I end up playing here. If I don't, it certainly will not be for lack of options!

Looking at All Three City Sets

FR1 Waterdeep and the North, City System, and FR8 Cities of Mystery are all great for that late 80s feel of the Forgotten Realms AD&D.

While each product is good individually and does what it sets out to do, one of the others points out its minimal shortcomings. Combined, they work fantastically together. So well, it makes me wonder whether I even need to leave the city!

Regardless of what city in the Realms becomes my home base (I am still partial to Baldur's Gate, but Waterdeep might win me over) I have the tools and the means to expand on it all.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
City System (1e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
FR1 Waterdeep and the North (1e)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/07/2024 14:48:49

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2024/03/reviews-cities-of-forgotten-realms.html

FR1 Waterdeep and the North Design and Development: Ed Greenwood, Product Coordination: Jeff Grubb, Editing: Karen S. Martin, Cover Art: Keith Parkinson, Interior Art: Chris Miller. Maps: Frey Graphics and David Sutherland, Heraldic Escutcheons: David E. Martin, Typography: Kim Janke, Keylining: Stephanie Tabat.

  1. PDF, Full-color covers, and maps. 78 pages.

I am basing this review on the PDF from DriveThruRPG only. If I can find a good copy (game store auction tomorrow night!) then I will grab it. And this is one where the boxed set would be nice to have.

This is the first proper Forgotten Realm reference, with the Moonshaes the second.

You might have noticed that I listed everyone involved with this product above. The Realms, in this iteration, has become a joint effort. Yes, Ed Greenwood is the father to this brain child of the Realms. He has suitably impressed me here and in the pages of Dragon Magazine. Ed's position here is solid and secure. But if "it takes a village," it takes much more for a city like Waterdeep. Even I know about Waterdeep, I still call myself a novice here.

This book introduces us to Waterdeep, the "City of Splendors", and the surrounding countryside of "The North."

It is a good introduction really, starting with Chapter 1: An Introduction to the North. The surrounding lands are detailed. While I knew of some of these, this put them into better relationship with each other. For me? I like having a map open to see where I am while reading. There are no maps of this area in this product. Not a huge deal, really, since they are with the Forgotten Realms boxed set. But a small one might have been nice, at least of the area in question. Thankfully there are also plenty of good maps for this area online.

Chapter 2: An Introduction to the City of Waterdeep, takes us to the City of Splendors. We get some history, some names of important people, and (most importantly to me right now) the city's legal code.

Chapter 3: The City Wards divides the city up into various wards. As a Chicagoan, this makes a lot of sense, and I am sure to anyone that has ever lived in a good-sized city, it will as well. I will point that while this is all about Waterdeep there is an assumption here that you can use this information to also build your own cities. Each ward has a name (Castle Ward, Sea Ward...) and various locales are mentioned. Some are just a name and what they are ("The Blue Jack," Tavern) so it leaves a lot of room to expand on what you can do with own Waterdeep. There are over 280 named locations, not counting the sewers, here. There is a lot of life here and almost none of it is detailed. YES, I mean this as a GOOD thing. I don't want the names and detailed back stories of every magistrate down to beggar orphan here. I want room to discover and grow. Give me enough and then back off.

Chapter 4: Life in the City. (Yes...Despite listening to the Crow Soundtrack, this is the song going through my head as I type this. Any resemblance between my Sinéad and Kate St John of Dream Academy is purely coincidental, I am sure.) Everything that makes a city work. Religion, money, goods and services. This is the life blood of any city and Waterdeep is livelier than most. There are notes about spending the winter in Waterdeep as well. The Forgotten Realms always says the quiet part out loud, and this is a world full of adventurers. To paraphrase the old saying, "All roads lead to Waterdeep." And while you are there, behave yourself. There is even a section on the going out at night, manners and dress. Now I want all my characters to go out an buy some nice part clothes for an after-hours party.

Chapter 5: The Guild and Factions of the City covers exactly that. Ever since Fritz Leiber (and of course WAY before) and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, FRPG Cities have had thousands of thieves' guilds, merchant's guilds, secret guilds, and, in a Forgotten Realms trademark, Adventuring Guilds. The guilds of Waterdeep are listed in three columns and then detailed in the next 7-8 pages. Again, there is the tacit notion here that you can lift these and use them in your own Forgotten Realms city. This becomes more implicit in future products.

Chapter 6: Noble Families of Waterdeep gives us some names and crests, the most "Greyhawk" like chapter so far.

Chapter 7: Selected Non-Player Characters of Waterdeep covers some notable NPCs in greater detail. It would not be a Forgotten Realms product without some notable NPCs.

Next are adventure hook chapters.

Chapter 8: Beginning a Campaign in Waterdeep covers exactly that. And there are some great ideas here too for such a short chapter. Though to be honest if you get to this chapter and don't already have ideas then this one won't help you.

Chapter 9: Adventures in Waterdeep is the one chapter I wanted to read the most. Chapters 1-7 are great and full of ideas, but I want to discover this city as an adventurer, not as a scholar. Back when I lived in Southern Illinois, right before I moved to Chicago, I had a map of the city on my wall. I would go over that map for hours on end just fascinated by it. When I moved to the near West Side (just a notch north of Little Italy and west of the Loop) I was surprised for how little that prepared me for all of it. The City is a living place. Chicago is. New York is. And so should Waterdeep.

There are seven "mini" adventures here. I ended up using none of them!

After this (what would have been the inside covers), there are maps of the major wards and a large piecemeal map of the city for the next 10 pages. Yes, I could print them out, but I am holding out for now.

This is not the final nor most authoritative word on Waterdeep by any stretch. It is a start though and a good one.

Looking at All Three City Sets

FR1 Waterdeep and the North, City System, and FR8 Cities of Mystery are all great for that late 80s feel of the Forgotten Realms AD&D.

While each product is good individually and does what it sets out to do, one of the others points out its minimal shortcomings. Combined, they work fantastically together. So well, it makes me wonder whether I even need to leave the city!

Regardless of what city in the Realms becomes my home base (I am still partial to Baldur's Gate, but Waterdeep might win me over) I have the tools and the means to expand on it all.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
FR1 Waterdeep and the North (1e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
PC1 Creature Crucible: Tall Tales of the Wee Folk (Basic)
by Jarred [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/01/2024 19:55:24

Beyond fantastic, truly a defining book in fantasy.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
PC1 Creature Crucible: Tall Tales of the Wee Folk (Basic)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Chains of Asmodeus
by Peter L. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/29/2024 10:53:17

There's a lot to like about the book, even if it falls short in a few areas. As other reviewers have mentioned, the artwork for the devils is atrocious (there's no effort at all to follow official descriptions from any era or the D&D aesthetic). The maps, however, are beautiful, even if the infinite layers are reduced in scope and the Avernus map is largely cut & paste from BG:DiA (as one would expect). The campaign itself is a railroad utterly dependent on NPCs (none of whom are particularly interesting). That said, for those who like the Hells there's a lot of useful bits to use, from locations, to creatures, and beyond. I'm not a fan of 5e's current Hellish hierarchy (AD&D's was more interesting), but the designers are limited in what they can do creatively. The Hellish dukes are far too weak (as, indeed, are the archdevils in 5e), but the scaling problem in 5e is well-known. To me this book is best used as a resource for the Hells rather than a campaign.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Chains of Asmodeus
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
N5 Under Illefarn (1e)
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 02/29/2024 10:04:53

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2024/02/review-n5-under-illefarn.html

My exploration of the Forgotten Realms continues with the next adventure on my list, N5 Under Illefarn by Steve Perrin. I actually ran this adventure a while back at the start of my 5e Second Campaign long ago. My first real attempt at getting a Realms game going. While that game would end up in different directions, the adventure is still a solid one.

N5 Under Illefarn

by Steve Perin. 1987. 50 pages, color covers (Jeff Easley) and maps (Stephen Sullivan), black & white art (Luise Perenne).

I am reviewing the PDF and Print on Demand versions from DriveThruRPG.

This is a "Novice Level" adventure and, likely due to timing, became connected to the Forgotten Realms. It is also the first of the N series to feature the Forgotten Realms banner. Something similar happened to the H series on the other end of the level spectrum.

When I talked about Module N4 Treasure Hunt, I mentioned that it was a great starting adventure that missed a little of what also made B2 Keep on the Borderland so great. This is fine since we already had Keep on the Borderlands. N5 strikes a middle ground. There is a base of operations, plenty of "wild" areas to explore, and a hook. It also works as a direct sequel to N4. You can play it stand-alone (as I did in 2017) or as a follow-up. Both have advantages.

Like N4, we are given an overview of the AD&D 1st Ed game, in particular the races and classes. Now, back in 2017, I said: "I am going to run it through like an AD&D game. So no tieflings or dragonborn. More gnomes, though, never have enough of those." That was a mistake in retrospect. If anywhere is open to Dragonborn, Tieflings, and all the new post-AD&D 1st-ed races (remember, tieflings are AD&D 2nd-ed), then it will be Faerûn. There is a bit on how you all get to Daggerford and what happens once you are there. I admit I did not like the idea of the characters needing to be in the Town Militia until I started thinking of this adventure as akin to an episode of "Cops" or, more to the point, the parody "Troops."

The base of operations for the characters is the small frontier town of Daggerford. So, like the Keep. From here the characters can go on quick adventures and then come back. An idea implicit for B2 KotBL, but here it is baked in.

The DM's section gives some background on the village of about 300 people and some 1,000 total living in the surrounding area. Sounds like where my wife grew up. The area and the city make are given. This includes many of the shops and building and what surrounds the village. There is even a bit on the "Big City" Chicago, I mean Waterdeep.

The main personalities of the town are also detailed. One of the things I had to used to (and get over) was that the Realms is about people. I can choose to use who I want. In 1987 this annoyed me, but in truth I was already switching my point of view then. Now? Now it is great. I mean, do I need to use Duke Pwyll Greatshout Daggerford? No. But why would I not want to?

This covers about the first half of the book. After this are adventures.

What kind of adventures? Lots! The first page has the AD&D staple, the Random Encounter Tables. One of the outcomes is a Ceratosaur! Imagine this. You are a still a newbie adventurer. You just recently learned which is the pointy end of the spear and which is the end you hold. Now you are on milita duty, and someone finds dinosaur tracks on your very first day on what you were told was going to be dull work making sure kids don't steal apples in the marketplace.

Kudos to Steve Perrin for getting going. And that is just one random encounter. I mean there is also a hermit. Yes, I said he is the same one from the KotBL. Why not. There are also werewolves, which I am using later on.

Among the detailed adventurers are a raid by Lizard Men (why I grabbed this in 2017 to be honest), basic Caravan duty, a kidnapped daughter of the Duke, and the titular Illefarn in the Laughing Hallow. The adventures range from a couple of pages to several.

The best thing about this adventure. Well, one of the best things. You can run it in many short adventures to get new players into the game. Need to spend an extra hour explaining rules? No worries, do that and send them on Militia duty to guard a caravan against orc raiders. That's a solid session.

Note About the Pring on Demand Print

The PDF from DriveThruRPG looks great and served me well in 2017. Recently I also grabbed the Print on Demand copy from DriveThru. There is some dithering from lower resolution art being brought up to print quality, but the text looks like it has been redone so it is nice and sharp and easy to read. I should note that it is not all the art. Some look rather crisp and clear as well. They may have had some of the higher resolution versions still on hand.

Again, we have a great introductory adventure. Not just good to introduce people to the AD&D 1st Edition game but also a great way to ease into the Forgotten Realms. Waterdeep is too big of a bite for new players (and characters) and many of the "big names" are still too big. This is nice little village with some fun problems to solve. A taste of adventure. An appetizer in small portions OR more akin to Tapas or Dim Sum. Small plates that can add up to a nice full meal.

(more details about the three characters I ran through on my full review site.))



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
N5 Under Illefarn (1e)
Click to show product description

Add to DriveThruRPG.com Order

pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 15 (of 6960 reviews) Result Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 ...  [Next >>] 
pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Hottest Titles
 Gift Certificates