The Expansionist

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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32. Organized Play Member. 6,045 posts (9,951 including aliases). 8 reviews. 1 list. 2 wishlists. 17 Organized Play characters. 23 aliases.



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Complicated puzzles, simple encounters!

2/5

Perhaps I missed something, but I've gone over this one a few times and I just cannot understand how you are supposed to run the puzzle encounter towards the end. As others have said, predrawn maps will help tremendously (I ran mine on a virtual tabletop with the images directly pulled from the PDF) but other than the puzzle encounter, this one goes pretty quickly.

The first encounter is laughably easy, but it is kind of supposed to be so that's no problem. The second encounter was infuriating for my players because of the creature's tactics and abilities, but it's ability to actually harm them was almost nil. Mostly it was just chasing this thing around and failing to hit it while being subjected to sleeps and charms and other enchantments.

The final encounter could have theoretically been interesting, but with a Master Summoner on the table, it was over in the blink of an eye. Overall, I would not recommend this one.


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Awesome Setting/Lore, Lackluster Encounters

3/5

I felt that the flavor and "wow" factor of the setting for this module, as well as the means of transporting there was pretty good. There's a lot of info on one of the more obscure religions in Golarion to be found in this one. The combats were moderately challenging for a 3-player party at tier 1-2, but overall not terribly interesting. I think with 4 players (or more), they would have been quite easy in general. The final encounter as written is... pretty lame. Practically a non-threat. I suggest that a party of 4+ players should try to play the higher tier instead of tier 1-2 in order to get something resembling a challenge as long as most of the party is level 2. A pack of level 1s should stick to 1-2. It should be challenging enough for them.


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A Fantastic Way of Giving More Control to Players

5/5

I use these cards as a reward system for good roleplaying. In my games, we hand out votes after every session and each player votes for the person they feel roleplayed the most and/or furthered the plot the most during the session. When they accumulate 10 such votes, they get one of these cards which can be redeemed at any time. It rewards people who advance the story with the ability to alter the story in small (and sometimes not-so-small!) ways and encourages players to promote the story. Good stuff all around!


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Terrible Editing, Even Worse Story Flow

1/5

I was the GM for terraleon (whose review can be found below) and I concur: this adventure is absolutely terrible. Secret doors that aren't labeled on the map, tactics that make absolutely no sense at times, whole encounter locations that aren't even ON the map, and an over abundance of completely irrelevant fluff and gushing descriptions of the cathedral's interior that consume word count better used to make the scenario playable.

This adventure requires the GM to basically restructure the whole adventure and come up with logical explanations of why perfectly plausible means of entry and/or egress must be completely impossible. Also, there are whole sections of the cathedral which are simply said to be "beyond the scope of this adventure." Absolutely horrid.


Vampire Adventure Path

3/5

Something that I didn't really pay attention to when I purchased this book is that, while I simply thought it was a companion guide to Requiem for Rome (which is utterly fantastic, by the way), it turns out that this book is actually an adventure. A hardback module, if you will, of fairly epic proportions. While there are a few new rules within, particularly pertaining to ritals and senatorial debates, the vast majority of this book is an ADVENTURE for Vampire: The Requiem. If that's what you're looking for, then this is a good one. I, personally, was more interested in deeper setting material for Rome and was a bit disappointed. Still, good stuff if you need a ready-made chronicle for your troupe.


A Handy "Player's Handbook" for 40K!

5/5

This book expands the options from the Dark Heresy book by adding a few new character origins, a new class, and "elite advances" for various character archetypes (think Prestige Classes). It also contains a bevy of new weapons and equipment which is always useful for any Inquistorial acolyte. Overall, highly recommended to broaden your game's range of options and add more depth to your campaign!


For the Emperor!!!

5/5

Just acquired this book recently at the behest of my friend who agreed to run it if I bought it. I must say, being something of a 40K fan, this game is fantastic. The system is relatively easy to learn (though "level advancement" is a tad strange) and it definitely captures the essence of 40K well. I will echo the previous reviewers points about the critical hits table, except that it's only "funny" in as much as watching a zombie movie with far too much blood and gore is funny. You can blow off limbs, decapitate, and otherwise horribly eviscerate your opponents with the arsenal of weapons provided within. Looks like a lot of fun! I can't wait to get our game started next week!


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A Fantastic Swashbuckling Resource!

5/5

This handy little PDF features a boatload of new feats and abilities to spice up your swashbuckling campaign! No more will the lightly armored agile fighter be a less-than-desirable character concept in the d20 system!


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Fantastic!

5/5

After seeing that Vic Wertz himself had given rave reviews to this product, I had to see it for myself! I'm so glad I did, too, because the rules given in this PDF are truly amazing and versatile. Highly recommended to anyone, player and DM alike.


An Instant Classic!

5/5

This movie is fabulous if you can get past the cheesy low-budget special effects (not a problem for my group of die-hard B-movie fans).

After showing it to my gaming group, it has rapidly become the most quoted movie at our gaming table, even surpassing "Monty Python and the Holy Grail!"


Cooooool!

4/5

This book provides a lot of interesting options for Mage players as well as a couple of "left-handed" paths designed for antagonists and the Storytellers who love them. Every Watchtower gets at least a few Legacies to choose from in this book, adding a great deal of diversity to player character options.

My only complaint? There aren't enough of them in this book. The Werewolf Lodges book contained 22 Lodges, yet this book only offers 13 Legacies for the same price.


Werewolves of the World?

3/5

While this book does contain a few Lodges who dwell in places like Poland and Japan as the preview states, I was somewhat disappointed to discover that they were among the minority. Many of the Lodges within were largely decentralized and could be easily dropped into any culture or location. Generally, this is not a bad thing, but I was really hoping that this book would focus specifically on Lodges with a strong "foreign" theme since the other Lodges books provide more "general" ones that are designed to be dropped into any setting.

Still though, the book is useful and the foreign Lodges that it does contain are well-written and are certain to see use in a future campaign.


Very useful, but not quite what I hoped for.

4/5

This book features a wide array of archetypes and powers with which to construct your very own changing breeds in the Storyteller system, either as PCs or NPCs.

While I found the process somewhat complex at first, after a second read-through it made sense. However, I was honestly hoping for more focus on "established" changing breeds (like the Bastet) to show how they fit in to the natural order and, more specifically, the political environment of the World of Darkness. As it is, the various breeds seem to be very fractious and happenstance. Granted, there's no reason a Storyteller couldn't just make something up for them, but seeing some more solid, established backstory that ties them into the world would've been nice.


Fantastic Resource!

5/5

This book is positively amazing! Never before have I seen any RPG product from any company focus on the Roman era and this book does it well. Providing plenty of deep information on the political atmosphere (both mortal and Kindred) and detailed descriptions of many areas of importance both in and under Rome, this book does everything I hoped it would and more. I'm really looking forward to running a game set in this era now!

(Oh yeah, and the artwork is mind-blowing!)


Fantastic Sci-Fi Game!

5/5

Written as the future of White Wolf's "Aberrant" storyline, Trinity has the players assuming the roles of special humans who have been gifted with psionic powers to battle to return of the Aberrants who once tried to take over the world centuries before.

This is a fantastic game that combines technology, aliens, and awesome psychic powers! What more can you ask for?!? This is easily my favorite game in the genre, even better than Shadowrun.


So Cool, But So Tricky!

4/5

The leading leg of this mini is a separate part that must be glued into place. I'm not sure why, but it was a huge pain in the ass. The leg must be wedged to fit between the hip socket and the base and, in my case anyway, the final result left a small but noticeable gap between the leg and the hip which I had to fill in with super glue. I was very disappointed with that fact, but I'm no pro miniature assembler either.

Still, this is one of the coolest looking minis I've seen so far, so I can't give it less than 4 stars, despite my difficulty.


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Big!

4/5

Getting this mini together was a little tricky because the axe and the hands holding it are all one piece that must be aligned and glued onto the wrists of the main figure.

The mini is heavy! It's quite large, too. The base fits into a standard 5' square on a battlemat but any adjacent minis with parts that extend even a little bit over their bases might not fit next to this behemoth.

This mini definitely captures the terrifying power of a half-orc barbarian, though, and the detail is incredible!


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Cool!

5/5

This mini is just plain awesome. Also, to those who may be thinking "my paladin uses a shield, though," fear not! This miniature has a shield on his back, held on by a pair of very detailed belts. Overall, a very cool mini.


Small Shield, Big Mini

3/5

This mini comes in three parts: the shield (and hand holding it), the sword (and forearm), and the main body.

The shield is much smaller in real life than it appears in this photo, almost comically so. While not a big problem, I do wish the shield was a little larger.

This mini is big and heavy. The base of it is ever-so-slightly larger than a stadard 5' square on a battle mat and it's arms extend into adjoining spaces, making positioning it somewhat tricky. If you're not using squares on a mat, this mini should be fine. It does look very cool, however, and my tank players look forward to using him to represent their characters in future campaigns!


Cool Looking, but Tricky Assembly

3/5

Maybe it's just me (I'm pretty new to the whole miniatures thing), but the arm with the shield is very difficult to attach to this mini. There doesn't seem to be any good fit for the piece on that side of the body. Perhaps my mini was damaged or imperfectly cast in some way, but I ended up gluing it in a potition very different from the one demonstrated in the photo presented on this site. It stayed together, but I have that feeling of "I did something wrong" when I look at it.


WOW! Eastern Immoren at last!

4/5

This book is incredible! It details the entirety of the continent of Immoren beyond the borders defined in the IKCG and describes the Skorne Empire as well as the Bloodstone Marches in great detail. The monster section at the beginning of the book covers some of the unique creatures that roam these lands and provides the usual amount of amazing IK detail in it's descriptions.

My only complaint? I'm not sure why they decided to incorporate the lands beyond Western Immoren into a Monsternomicon. They should have called it "Beyond the Iron Kingdoms" and detailed the additional setting material in the first part, then added the monsters in the back as an appendix. Still, as a hardcore IK fan, this book is extremely cool!


Nice to Have, But Hardy Crucial

3/5

This book is largely filled with roleplaying information regarding the various paths of magic. It details the events that typically surround a given path member's Awakening and provides a few additional merits and legacies for the various paths.

I was surprised (and somewhat disappointed) to discover that the book does not provide information on how the different Paths approach the same types of magic. I was hoping to see some information on how an Acanthus' conjuration of a weapon differs from, say, a Moros mage. Still, the book has lots of information regarding the attitudes that the Paths have towards many things and provides an excellent roleplaying guide for Mage players.

If you've got a tight budget and want only the books that will enhance your gaming experience the most, however, this book can probably wait.


The Bad Guys

5/5

This book identifies everything anyone would ever need to know about the Pure. From tribal heirarchies to unique Gifts, from rituals to philosophies, this book breathes life into the Pure and provides excellent information for anyone who seeks to employ the Pure as a prominent part of their campaign.

The main Werewolf: The Forsaken book does little more than mention the Pure, but this book fleshes them out as much as (if not more than) the Forsaken are detailed in the main book. Their methods for recruiting new members, their tribal philosophies, and their unique (and powerful) Gifts are all detailed within. Additionally, character creation rules are presented for making NPCs to battle your Forsaken troupe with or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can use the same rules to create Pure PCs! The details for running such a campaign are mentioned in the same area and rest assured that the differences are quite distinct.

This is a very useful book if you plan to use the Pure as antagonists or want to provide your troupe with a new angle on the Werewolf game.


Useful and Spooky

5/5

This book brings the terrifying realm of the Shadow closer to home. Full of tales of hauntings, evil spirits who possess people, and all manner of spiritual anomalies, this book is certain to be useful to anyone who wishes to explore more of the unseen world that lies behind the Gauntlet.

The contents of the book, besides the wonderfully chilling stories, include dozens of sample spirits to drop into your campaign, expanded information on loci and how they form, and additional rules regarding the Spirit-Urged and Spirit-Claimed. The book also contains a new vampire Discipline that allows interaction with the spirit world, a handful of werewolf rites and fetishes, and a few rules for dealing with non-supernaturals who attempt to consult the spirit world by ritual.

This book is highly recommended for any game in which the spirit world will be involved, even if it won't take center stage. The information and descriptions provided by this book will ensure that your players never forget their visit to the 'Other Side.'


Most Useful Suppliment Yet!

5/5

Whether you're an old-school WoDer like me who is still trying to figure out the new clans and systems or someone who's jumped into the Requiem from the onset, this book brings phenomenal clarity to the vagaries of Kindred existance.

The book contains systems for the effects of torpor on a Kindred's memories, more detailed information on how the Kindred body heals, the properties of Vitae and how it can be used, and much much much more! If you buy no other book to compliment the Requiem core book, get this one!



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I enjoy the 15-point buy myself...it gives me enough points to make a workable character who is just "above average" enough to have the potential to become a hero. I have used 20-point once, and it was alright as well, a little more powerful, but not so much as to really be that different. I don't know that I would enjoy a 25-point buy or not, it would depend on the campaign and what the PCs needed to accomplish I guess.

My approach to the game, as a DM and as a player, is that those who adventure are simply above average from the common man, with the potential to be much more. To that end, I rarely drop an ability below 10 when I'm creating a PC. Rarely I'll drop to a 9 or an 8, but I hate have minuses to anything when it comes to an adventurer. There are enough minuses to various things already.

As a DM, I don't allow anything over 18 for a 1st level character, and I don't allow anything below an 8, and then only one of each of those stats in any build. Again, this is pertaining to my "above average" thought process. I build my lower level NPCs the same way, although the higher level ones I use a 20-point build on, but these are the big baddies of the campaign world, those who have developed their power over a long period of time, so they need to be a bit more powerful (instead of leveling them from 1st level, I just create them at the level which is pertinant for their part of the campaign).