I got way behind on these reviews so the next few will just be quick thoughts so I can get caught up to the present.
I love the Arudin Trilogy picture on page 8. I don't know exactly what Arudin is, I gather it is pretty wild and gonzo, but you had me at "busty elf decapitates lizardman."
I like Hook-Hand Jack, he is my kind of creepy NPC.
The "House of the Axe" by Calithena is a pretty cool adventure. I really like how the ghost is handled and the apartment level. If I use it, I will probably just use the house parts though. Personally, I think all the dungeon crawling in the basement levels will lessen the haunted house feel. They are well done though.
I am probably going to use "Random Rooms" by Michael Curtis to flesh out my sub-level for Stonehell. I have some stuff I want to work in fairly early. I'd like to stick with the whole random/megadungeon spirit where I can.
"Home Remedies for Common Dungeon Ailments", "Carousing Mishaps" and "Random Facial Hair" by Jeff Rients are clever. I got a kick out of these.
I am torn about "The Tower of Duvan'Ku". I enjoyed reading it, it is a clever idea, it would be fun to run as a GM. I am not sure that it would be fun to play in as a player. It is almost like an Andy Kaufman skit, or Borat set up. They aren't really a lot of fun for the targets, just the people who are in on the joke. I will need to think about this one some more. I like it, but I could wind up with a table full of angry players too.
Gabor Lux is as productive and creative as always.
"Fungoid Gardens of the Bone Sorcerer" makes me very interested in Carcosa. I like the style here. I really like the picture on 73. I know there is a lot of controversy around this setting, but none of it sounds like something that would even come close to bothering me.
"The Mysterious Crystal Hemisphere" by James M. is a dungeon level I want to use. I find this level to be far more focused than the other Darkness Beneath levels. The whole thing is just really cool. I like the weird effects outside the ship, the mystery of the whole thing, the alien wierdness, and the puzzle-like nature. I have a pretty good idea how I want to use it too. I will probably have it be a stand alone dungeon. With some minor changes to the background I could tie it into my loose Stonehell plan along with the Stone Wombs (Knockspell #2) and some crazy portals (Knockspell #3).
I am really glad to see a review of Tunnels and Trolls. I picked up a new copy at GenCon this year. I am a long time Flying Buffalo fan, we played many, many hours of Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes as kids. The guy at their booth was really nice, and talked to me for almost half an hour about MSPE.
All in all a good issue. I liked the more generic theme to this issue. The Arudin specific adventure could easily be used anywhere. I still don't grok Tekumel, I think I need to learn a lot more about that some how. Everything I read about it seems interesting.
I love the Arudin Trilogy picture on page 8. I don't know exactly what Arudin is, I gather it is pretty wild and gonzo, but you had me at "busty elf decapitates lizardman."
I like Hook-Hand Jack, he is my kind of creepy NPC.
The "House of the Axe" by Calithena is a pretty cool adventure. I really like how the ghost is handled and the apartment level. If I use it, I will probably just use the house parts though. Personally, I think all the dungeon crawling in the basement levels will lessen the haunted house feel. They are well done though.
I am probably going to use "Random Rooms" by Michael Curtis to flesh out my sub-level for Stonehell. I have some stuff I want to work in fairly early. I'd like to stick with the whole random/megadungeon spirit where I can.
"Home Remedies for Common Dungeon Ailments", "Carousing Mishaps" and "Random Facial Hair" by Jeff Rients are clever. I got a kick out of these.
I am torn about "The Tower of Duvan'Ku". I enjoyed reading it, it is a clever idea, it would be fun to run as a GM. I am not sure that it would be fun to play in as a player. It is almost like an Andy Kaufman skit, or Borat set up. They aren't really a lot of fun for the targets, just the people who are in on the joke. I will need to think about this one some more. I like it, but I could wind up with a table full of angry players too.
Gabor Lux is as productive and creative as always.
"Fungoid Gardens of the Bone Sorcerer" makes me very interested in Carcosa. I like the style here. I really like the picture on 73. I know there is a lot of controversy around this setting, but none of it sounds like something that would even come close to bothering me.
"The Mysterious Crystal Hemisphere" by James M. is a dungeon level I want to use. I find this level to be far more focused than the other Darkness Beneath levels. The whole thing is just really cool. I like the weird effects outside the ship, the mystery of the whole thing, the alien wierdness, and the puzzle-like nature. I have a pretty good idea how I want to use it too. I will probably have it be a stand alone dungeon. With some minor changes to the background I could tie it into my loose Stonehell plan along with the Stone Wombs (Knockspell #2) and some crazy portals (Knockspell #3).
I am really glad to see a review of Tunnels and Trolls. I picked up a new copy at GenCon this year. I am a long time Flying Buffalo fan, we played many, many hours of Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes as kids. The guy at their booth was really nice, and talked to me for almost half an hour about MSPE.
All in all a good issue. I liked the more generic theme to this issue. The Arudin specific adventure could easily be used anywhere. I still don't grok Tekumel, I think I need to learn a lot more about that some how. Everything I read about it seems interesting.
Thanks for the kind words! We're up to #7 now, getting out #8, and still going strong.
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