"Go to the sign of Marvel's Axe, a dubious inn on the edge of the Thieves Quarter, in the City of Greyhawk, and look to your own wrist. If you perceive a bracelet and dangling dice, watch for the next throw in the war between Law and Chaos and be prepared to follow the compelling geas." -Signal

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

X7: The War Rafts of Kron (1984)

From the back cover:

The Ierendi princess, Corinna, has disappeared.

She set sail aboard a ship of the Minrothad Guilds - the guild's ships which have been pirated and plundered for many weeks. Trade is horribly disrupted as many ships leave, never to be seen again.
The guild masters now call for adventurers of great skill and renown. They offer small fortunes to any who can help them discover who is pirating their ships. But most importantly, to any who can rescue the princess.

Can you and your party of adventurers defeat the dangers which lurk in the dark depths of a terrifying sea? Or, will you find a watery grave within the cold confines of a murky sea floor?

This game adventure contains special rules for underwater adventuring.

 

Monday, May 29, 2023

CM5: Mystery of the Snow Pearls (1985)

From the back cover:

One of four magical, snow white pearls protecting Tarylon has been stolen! And you, a Companion level elf, are responsible for its safekeeping. Now the very existence of your beautiful village is threatened unless you can find the powerful pearl. Milgor, the evil wizard with an evil sense of fun, challenges you to find the pearl, and return it to Tarylon.

But it's not that easy.

Time is running out while you try to discover and solve the riddles of Milgor in this exciting, puzzling adventure. Time is running out for Tarylon!

This adventure uses the Magic Viewer™ system to reveal hidden encounters, puzzles, and traps.


 

Sunday, May 28, 2023

GURPS Space (Second Edition) (1990) #2

From the back of the book:

At last... the star-spanning sourcebook for the Generic Universal RolePlaying System. In the 128 pages of GURPS Space, you'll find:

  • Detailed, scientifically correct rules for creating star systems and planets... either randomly, or to fit a specific campaign.
  • 21 character types, with new advantages, disadvantages and skills for a future campaign.
  • Three variant human races - heavy-worlders, light-worlders and Spacers - and guidelines for creating other forms.
  • Four alien races. Meet the savage, near-human Gormelites; the graceful, aggressive Sparrials; the weird, sex-changing Pachekki; and the powerful, half-plant Treefolk.
  • Science-fiction gadgets, weapons, and medical technology.
  • Starship construction rules from TL8 (just around the corner) to TL15+ (science fantasy).
  • Quick but detailed abstract ship combat rules - no ship counters, just roleplaying - for a quick determination of fleet damage, individual ship damage, and injury to characters.

GURPS Space doesn't tie your game to a single background. Rather, it is designed for the creative GM who wants to develop his own universe! This book presents a wide variety of choices and background information to let you recreate your favorite science-fiction background - or build your own.

Years in the making, GURPS Space is a survey of the whole space-adventure genre as it related to roleplaying. If you're ready to create your own future... it's yours.

 

Saturday, May 27, 2023

GURPS Psionics (1991)

From the web:

Mind Over Matter

Spies and police who can read your thoughts. New Age mysticism merged with ultra-technology. Psychic vampires. Mass minds of terrible power. Telepathic computers. Gifted children killed or kidnapped by a power-mad government. This is the world of GURPS Psionics.

Psionics is the ultimate sourcebook for psi powers. It includes a complete world background - and the GM can use it as a resource for campaigns in any background.

In Psionics you'll find:
  • Unified Rules - the psi systems from GURPS Basic Set Third Edition and GURPS Supers combined into a complete, official whole.
  • New Abilities - including Mindswitch, Combat Teleport, psychic vampirism and cyberpsi.
  • New Rules - featuring gestalts, group minds, latent psis, ghosts, psionic combat and poltergeists.
  • Psionic Technology - two chapters of psionic equipment, including psychotronic weaponry, dreamscanners and psionic computers - even psionic starship drives!
  • Campaign Advice - on smoothly integrating psi into other GURPS worldbooks, or designing your own psi campaign.

Complete Campaign Background - in which powerful psis struggle with secret with secret government agencies and globe-spanning conspiracies in a world eerily like our own...


 

Friday, May 26, 2023

GURPS Supers (1989)

From the back of the book:

"The Supers are here! From costumed crusaders fighting against the forces of evil to monstrous villains terrorizing the world, your creations are only limited by your imagination! GURPS Supers lets you create real heroes and villains, each fully defined in both power and personality – not just combat monsters."

Include some background for the original GURPS Supers IST campaign

 

Thursday, May 25, 2023

GURPS Atomic Horror (1993)

From the web:

Watch the Skies!

Alien invaders! Giant lizards from another age! Flesh-eating zombies! Colossal insects! Mad scientists! Blobs! Only you can defend humanity, civilization, and the American Way from these terrible horrors.

GURPS Atomic Horror contains everything you need to roleplay the science-fiction and horror movies of the 1950s. The campaign can be as scary as The Thing, as dramatic as The Day the Earth Stood Still, as strange as Little Shop of Horrors, or as goofy as Plan 9 From Outer Space – the choice is yours. Characters can be square-jawed scientists and military men, heroic explorers, misunderstood teenagers, cold-war spies, G-men, gangsters . . . or just ordinary folks caught up in unearthly weirdness.

GURPS Atomic Horror contains:

  • A comprehensive guide to '50s politics, society, and attitudes suitable for any campaign – not just science fiction/horror.
  • Five new alien races, completely described and ready to invade the Earth. In fact, some of them are already here!
  • Guidelines for creating more than a dozen different kinds of movie monsters, from gill-men to carnivorous plants to living human brains in jars.
  • Alternate world campaign ideas, like a '50s where the Nazis won World War II, or a futuristic '50s where our own flying saucers conquer space.
  • A detailed filmography listing dozens of '50s science horror films, from the classics to the turkeys.


 

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Rolemaster Character Records (1990)

From the cover:

Tired of thumbing through book after book and scribbling notes on notebook pages while designing your Rolemaster character? Ever wish you had all the information about your character-skills, skill costs, stats, spell lists, next-level developments, etc., all on a few well-organized pages? Wait no longer!
The Rolemaster Character Records are here.
Each profession's individual character sheets provide:

  • Specific development point costs and level bonuses for every Rolemaster skill, integrated into individualized character sheets for every Rolemaster character profession, up to and including Rolemaster Companion IV.
  • Expanded space for skill areas that are frequently broken down into more specific areas for professions which use them most.
  • Plenty of room to detail all of the facets of your favorite character, such as Armor Type, stats, Resistance Roll bonuses, physical and personality traits, equipment, spell lists, background, and modifiers of every type.
  • Extra room left for you to add your own original skills, spell lists, stats, and much more.

Rolemaster garners now have an entire fantasy world at their fingertips. Shadow WorldTM products form a rich fantasy environment for the Rolemaster and Fantasy Hero game systems. The self-contained adventures may also be used as isolated or hidden areas in any Gamemaster's campaign world.

The completely reformatted 2nd edition Rolemaster system includes the following:
  • Arms Law® & Claw Law® - The Rolemaster Arms and Animals combat systems combined in a new, reorganized volume. These fast-moving rules include individual charts for 30 weapons and critical strike tables, as well as detailed creature attacks for real and mythical beasts. Martial arts rules also are included.
  • Character Law & Campaign Law® - The new version of the complete character development and campaign guide. Character Law features a unique trait development system that allows characters to increase their ability in any skill. There are no absolute restrictions. Campaign Law includes handy reference material available to any Gamemaster: weather, encounter, and price charts, and guidelines for running a campaign in a complex living world.
  • Spell Law® - The magic system that improves any FRP game! The new edition of Spell Law has over 2,000 spell descriptions based on three realms of power and 15 professions. It provides alchemy rules, spell attack and failure tables, and a unique -spell-learning structure.


 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Places of Mystery III - Sylvan Settings (1983)

From the back cover:

Adventure here

The Viking Burial Longship
...Eerie, bobbing lights give dim illumination through the fog. All is suddenly still as a crow's warning cry, loud enough to awake the dead, echoes in the darkness. As though in response, aphosphorescent globe moves from behind a tree and casts upon a wall of fog a terrifying shadow - the head of a dragon, raised high, jaws agape, its gaze fixed on the path...

The Sacrificial Oaks
...The seven stumps, each as large as the thirteen trees that ring them, have been stripped of bark to reveal the twisted grain and intricate root structure. The tops are a uniform, dark color. They are very smooth, as though red brown oil. ...or some other substance... had anointed them to protect against the assault of the elements...

The Carrion Crow
...The trees, covered with deep green fungus, drip wet moss in a 15-foot-long strands. The ground flattens as it gives way to water: a yellow-brown blanket covers the marsh, No sound shatters the solemn... oppressive... silence...

...What does your party do?
What does our party do?


 

Monday, May 22, 2023

CM6: Where Chaos Reigns (1985)

From the back cover:

"You have been chosen.

Throughout the land, the omens of some cataclysmic change are clear for all to see. The flowers are blooming out of season, fish fall like rain, and a blue moon hangs in the night sky.

Yet the danger is not of this land, nor even this world. Far away in the infinite planes lies Aelos, a world of peril. A world where time itself has been corrupted and where chaos reigns.

Even the mighty Immortals who watch over the planes are powerless to help Aelos. Hope rests in you alone.

Come then, journey through the swirling Nexus, to a world beyond the stars. You have been chosen, and Eternity beckons!"

 

Sunday, May 21, 2023

FR7: Hall of Heroes (1989)

From the back cover:

The FORGOTTEN REALMS fantasy world has been the site of many great adventures and home to countless valiant heroes and infamous villians. Many a talk of derring-do has been recounted in novels like the Moonshae trilogy by Douglas Niles, The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore, Azure Bonds by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb, and Spellfire by Ed Greenwood (creator of the FORGOTTEN REALMS fantasy world).

Until now, the characters from these FORGOTTEN REALMS novels have been unavailable to AD&D game players. But no longer.

Hall of Heroes provides complete histories and AD&D game statistics for such beloved characters as Elminster, the greatest sage and magic user of the Realms, Tristan Kendrick and Robyn of the Moonshae isles, Wulfgar the Barbarian, Drizzt the dark elf, and Bruenor the dwarf, all from the northern reaches, plus Alias and Dragonbait, Shandril and Narm Tamaraith and many more.

But the Hall of Heroes is more than a listing of game statistics: It's also a sourcebook describing (among other things) artificial and magical lifeforms of the Realms, as well as the lives of the world's elves, dwarves, lizardmen, and exotic creatures

Whatever your interest in the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting, you'll find much to entertain and intrigue you in this volume.

 

Saturday, May 20, 2023

How the Mighty Are Fallen (1996)

From the back cover:

How the Mighty Are Fallen is an adventure designed for use with the Netheril: Empire of Magic boxed campaign setting (which is required to play this adventure). Within these pages, the final heroes of Netheril can:

  • Gather the components that Karsus requires for casting his "most wondrous" spell, the only 12th-level spell ever known. He just needs a few body parts from two creatures - a gold dragon and the Tarrasque.
  • Reunite lost lovers after they have been seperated by death. Nopheus's wife was killed in a magical explosion, and now he's finally saved enough money for her to be resurrected. Certainly a dead body couldn't pose a threat to a band of stalwart heroes?!
  • Follow the winds of Fate to wherever Tyche delivers them. Numerous side adventure allow players to take their characters to a variety of different locations. Some heroes might want to follow the trail of the missing nether scrolls, while others might want to join the resistance and fight Karsus and the other archwizards. But only the bravest hearts can take the first step....


 

Friday, May 19, 2023

GURPS Space (Second Edition) (1990)

From the back of the book:

The Future Is Yours!

At last... the star-spanning sourcebook for the Generic Universal RolePlaying System. In the 128 pages of GURPS Space, you'll find:

  • Detailed, scientifically correct rules for creating star systems and planets... either randomly, or to fit a specific campaign.
  • 21 character types, with new advantages, disadvantages and skills for a future campaign.
  • Three variant human races - heavy-worlders, light-worlders and Spacers - and guidelines for creating other forms.
  • Four alien races. Meet the savage, near-human Gormelites; the graceful, aggressive Sparrials; the weird, sex-changing Pachekki; and the powerful, half-plant Treefolk.
  • Science-fiction gadgets, weapons, and medical technology.
  • Starship construction rules from TL8 (just around the corner) to TL15+ (science fantasy).
  • Quick but detailed abstract ship combat rules - no ship counters, just roleplaying - for a quick determination of fleet damage, individual ship damage, and injury to characters.

GURPS Space doesn't tie your game to a single background. Rather, it is designed for the creative GM who wants to develop his own universe! This book presents a wide variety of choices and background information to let you recreate your favorite science-fiction background - or build your own.

Years in the making, GURPS Space is a survey of the whole space-adventure genre as it related to roleplaying. If you're ready to create your own future... it's yours.

 

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Character Codex (1979)

From the web:

This book of AD&D tear-out sheets is used to keep statistics on the player's characters. Including spaces for character's title, age, history, class, level, hit points, experience points, divinity, background, characteristics and their effects. Also provided are a blank shield for designing the character's coat of arms and a detailed AD&D equipment list with costs. Each character sheet has a small illustration of the character class by Paul Jaquays. The sheets are perforated for easy removal from the booklet.
 

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Cthulhu Now (1987)

From the back cover:

Cthulhu Now
Modern Background and Adventures For Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying

Cthulhu and the Old Ones remain powerful in the half-century since Lovecraft's death. The globe is well-explored, but the darkness within men's souls is unfathomed. Now human fortunes encompass Cthulhu and the H-Bomb too! Does technology aid the struggle for good, or is it helpless against forces from beyond space, beyond time?

Cthulhu Now includes four roleplaying adventures, "The City in the Sea," "The Killer Out of Space," "The Evil Stars," and "Dreams Dark and Deadly." Background essays provide new skills and occupations, up-to-date cash-flow information, an elaborate firearms article (and a foldout illustrating contemporary firearms), active and passive night-vision equipment, a survey of forensic pathology from Sherlock Holmes' day to the present (required reading for every serious player), and even a hit location option (useful when lots of bullets must be dealt with). Player aids for the adventures are repeated on perforated pages at the back of the book.

 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Great Old Ones (1989)

From the web:

A collection of six 1920s scenarios for Call of Cthulhu, which can be loosely connected into a campaign.

Contains the following scenarios:

- The Spawn
- Still Waters
- Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
- One in Darkness
- The Pale God
- Bad Moon Rising

From the back cover:
"Cthulhu and his minions plot against the peace and surety of the natural world, but so do a host of Powers distinct from him. Along with Great Cthulhu, these entities comprise the Great Old Ones, awesome beings who came to this planet hundreds of millions of years ago, and who dwell here yet in the dark places, just beyond the reach of man.

The Great Old Ones consists of a set of six scenarios for Call of Cthulhu: 'The Spawn' is in the Wild West, with Indians, Wobblies, and bad guys; 'Still Waters' is an adventure for people who hate to lend books; 'Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?' makes a symbolic stop-over in New Orleans; 'One in Darkness' features South Boston hoodlums; 'The Pale God' introduces investigators to an unusual contract; 'Bad Moon Rising' is an experience to remember. The adventures can be presented in sequence, as a loose campaign; limited cross-references allow the scenarios to stand independently."


 

Monday, May 15, 2023

L1: Demons and Devils (2000)

From the web:

Demons and Devils is the first module in Necromancer Games "Lair" series, a set of modules containing short adventures usable in one or two game sessions for the overworked Dungeon Master who does not need a full-scale dungeon. Published under the d20 system, Demons and Devils contains three short, difficult dungeons: The Sorcerer's Citadel, "Ras Evil Grin" and the Pit of Despair. Each of theses is a perfect hiding place for items a party may be questing for. And, in the fine Necromancer Games tradition, each of theses short dungeons centers around a demon or devil which guards that item. We've made the dungeon, you decide what you want to hide there. Now sit back and watch your players try to get it!
 

Sunday, May 14, 2023

GAZ4: The Kingdom of Ierendi (1987)

From the web:

"To some, it is a vacationer's paradise. Tropical islands, set in sapphire seas, fringed with shell-covered beaches: the perfect spot to "get away from it all." To others, it is a place to be feared. Pirates' hideaways, disease-ridden jungles, psychotic natives: the perfect spot to avoid.

The Kingdom of Ierendi comprises of ten islands, each with a specific attraction for the adventure-seeking visitor. The native population includes the Makai, the original tribe to inhabit the islands, and various settlers who have chosen these exotic locales as their home (well for some, perhaps "chosen" isn't quite the proper word...).

Your characters want to take a break from continental life? Here is the material for precisely that kind of relief. This Gazetteer includes information on each island in the Kingdom, complete maps of the area, adventures keyed to specific locations (as well as some more general ones), and for the DM a new method of playing out sea battles, complete with ship counters.

Come back to Ierendi. Make it yours, again and again."


 

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Town of Baldemar (1987)

From the back cover:

"Welcome to BALDEMAR!

In this booming town on the banks of the river Wythyn, danger and adventure lurk at every turn. Stroll the quaint streets of Old Town, where the Guild Council conducts the government's business. Visit the shops of New Town and purchase exotic items from the far corners of the earth. Crosriver caters to adventurers, offering food, entertainment, and services. But only the boldest dare enter the dark alleys of the Warrens, where the cruel Warren Lords dispense their own brands of justice...

Baldemar is a complete town setting in the medieval style, compatible with any fantasy role-playing game. it describes over 450 buildings and 125 noteworthy residents, which you can customize for your own campaign with less than an hour's work. Full personality sketches of Baldemar's most important citizens are included for maximum role-playing enjoyment, but you determine their actual powers and abilities.

Baldemar also offers a game system for handling public opinion -- both political and social -- that is so simple, yet so versatile, that you will want to use it for your entire campaign! This valuable tool can add an extra dimension to your game."

 

Friday, May 12, 2023

The North: Guide to The Savage Frontier (1996) - No Box

From the web:

The Savage Frontier, the Barbaric North, the Cold Wastes, the Uneducated Backyard. These, among many others, are nicknames for the North. This is a land of rabid monsters and ruthless barbarians, where nature is the strongest force foe leagues in any direction. The North campaign expansion for the Forgotten Realms setting is the authority on the lands from Daggerford in the south to Ten-Towns in the north, from Anauroch in the east to the Ice Peak in the west.

This new campaign expansion contains everything a player or Dungeon Master needs to adventure in this savage and perilous territory, including:
* The Wilderness - A 96-page timeline and geographical overview of the north, featuring a description of the land's natives and monsters and including out-of-print information found in TSR's accessory FR5: The Savage Frontier.
* Cities and Civilization - 64 pages of facts on all the cities, towns, and hamlets in the North.
* Daggerford - a 32-page book describing a complete city designed to be a hometown for your campaign's bravest heroes, with detailed building descriptions based on information from the old TSR adventure N5: Under Illefarn.
* Two Poster Maps - Full-color sheets showing the entire environs of the North. On the reverse side is a map of the town of Daggerford, plus an extensive set of random encounter tables.


 

Thursday, May 11, 2023

DDA4: The Dymrak Dread (1991)

From the Back Cover:

ADVENTURE LIES AHEAD, DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE DYMRAK FOREST

Are you ready to meet the Lord Forester's challenge: to put an end to needless death and destruction by doing away with the goblin war chieftain, Kosivikh, and his evil band of raiders? Eager to prove yourselves as new adventurers and to collect a sizable bounty, you travel to the goblins' dungeon in the Dymrak Forest - a place that has captivated your interest for years, a place where few have dared to venture. Only you and your fellow adventurers can put an end to the rampant bloodshed and return peace to the territory.

This module is recommended especially for beginner Dungeon masters and players who are interested in dungeon exploration.

  • Recommended for four to seven characters, levels 1-3
  • Handouts and cardboard stand-up characters provided
  • For use with both the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Game box and the D&D Game Cyclopedia
  • Can be used as a follow-up to the DDA3, Eye of Traldar module or it can stand alone
  • Features easy-to-follow rules on dungeon adventuring in the heart of the Dymrak Forest

 

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

HHQ4: Cleric's Challenge (1993)

From the web:

"Pommeville is a sleepy little town that seems like a good place to stay for the night. That is, until the town's dead rise from their graves and begin terrorizing the village! Ancient evil threatens to overwhelm the good folk of Pommeville unless someone can find a way to comfort the restless dead. A lone, player character cleric will have to be clever, courageous, and more than a little lucky to solve the mystery and save Pommeville from the mindless zombies that threaten it!

Cleric's Challenge is a special ONE-ON-ONE ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure designed for a DUNGEON MASTER and one player - perfect for very small playing groups, or for the player who wants his or her character to earn some extra experience."

 

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands (4th & 5th edition) (1997)

From the back of the book:

We all dream. For some, dreams can become reality. This book provides everything needed for Call of Cthulhu investigators to travel down the seven hundred steps through the Gate of Deeper Slumber and into the land of dreams. It includes a travelogue of the Dreamlands, a huge gazetteer, statistics for over thirty prominent NPCs, a bestiary of over sixty monsters, information on the gods of the Dreamlands and their cults, a fold-out map, and more. Also present are two adventures, Lemon Sails and Pickman's Student, to help get keepers started adventuring in the Dreamlands.


This fourth edition of the Dreamlands is much larger than previous editions, with almost a hundred pages devoted to new background material and a character generation system. You can now choose to visit the Dreamlands, or stage a campaign there.

 

Monday, May 8, 2023

Player's Guide to Greyhawk (1998)

From the back cover:

"THE FIRST WORLD EVER MADE FOR THE AD&D GAME!

Return to the roots of fantasy roleplaying with the Player's Guide for the GREYHAWK campaign setting - the original ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game world! For newcomers as well as old-time fans, this book is the doorway to high adventure.

Enter the Flanaess - a crowded cluster of kingdoms and states, great and petty, struggling for survival and supremacy against one another and countless foes both internal and external. Learn about the nations and cities of the world of Greyhawk; the leaders and rebels that affect this war-torn land; the races that inhabit it and the creatures that threaten it. Use this book in conjunction with TSR's other GREYHAWK game accessories, or to begin your own campaign in the land that helped shape the AD&D game, the world that even now defines excitement and intrigue."

 

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Guide to Hell (1999) #3 (the last for now I promise)

From the back cover:

"Diabolical threats lurk everywhere in the world of the AD&D game. Heroes who fight evil on the Prime Material Plane may contend with forces whose power rises from the depths of Hell. Adventurers who travel to Hell meet devildom on its own terms and risk not only their lives but their everlasting souls.

"Guide to Hell is a comprehensive look at the nature of devils, ways for heroes to battle them, and the twisted geography and politics of the Nine Layers in the AD&D game. The decision to "go to Hell" should never be made lightly – but once it is made, this book will give the DM everything he or she needs to make the experience memorable for all the heroes ... at least, those who survive."

 

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Guide to Hell (1999) #2

From the back cover:

"Diabolical threats lurk everywhere in the world of the AD&D game. Heroes who fight evil on the Prime Material Plane may contend with forces whose power rises from the depths of Hell. Adventurers who travel to Hell meet devildom on its own terms and risk not only their lives but their everlasting souls.

"Guide to Hell is a comprehensive look at the nature of devils, ways for heroes to battle them, and the twisted geography and politics of the Nine Layers in the AD&D game. The decision to "go to Hell" should never be made lightly – but once it is made, this book will give the DM everything he or she needs to make the experience memorable for all the heroes ... at least, those who survive."

 

Friday, May 5, 2023

Guide to Hell (1999)

From the back cover:

"Diabolical threats lurk everywhere in the world of the AD&D game. Heroes who fight evil on the Prime Material Plane may contend with forces whose power rises from the depths of Hell. Adventurers who travel to Hell meet devildom on its own terms and risk not only their lives but their everlasting souls.

"Guide to Hell is a comprehensive look at the nature of devils, ways for heroes to battle them, and the twisted geography and politics of the Nine Layers in the AD&D game. The decision to "go to Hell" should never be made lightly – but once it is made, this book will give the DM everything he or she needs to make the experience memorable for all the heroes ... at least, those who survive."

 

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Die Vecna Die! (2000)

From the back cover:

"The End of the World Is at Hand

A hideous death cult has seized control of an ancient artifact-monument known as Tovag Baragu. The power behind the cult is the Old One himself, Iuz the Evil, demonic master of an empire. He's on an all-or-nothing quest for supremacy over the world - and the heavens beyond.

To stop him, heroes must face horrors never dreamed of, journeying to a shadowed city where Death rules and the living cower. Here, Iuz will achieve his mad dream by destroying imprisoned master of that alien citadel - Vecna, the mightiest lich, an immortal demigod.

Two items exist with the power to stop Iuz - the Eye and the Hand of Vecna - but using them carries fantastic risks. Not even the gods know what will be unleashed when these items are fully activated.

Die Vecna Die! takes the heroes from the GREYHAWK campaign to the demiplane of RAVENLOFT and then to the PLANESCAPE city of Sigil. However, none of the material from those settings is required for play."

 

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Dark Conspiracy (1991)

From the back of the book:

Shapes that rip and tear. Shadows that live in corners. Windows in space and time that lead to realms of madness and decay. A dark, lurking horror that feeds off the echoing aguish of a billion tortured souls. This is the center of a twisted, sinister conspiracy which threatens the very existence of all humankind. Set in the near future, the world of Dark Conspiracy is dramatically altered from today and is fraught with peril and challenges. The Metroplexes, where most of the world’s population lives, are a blend lawless gang turf and corporate fortresses ruled by men and women powerful enough to be above the law. The countryside is sparsely inhabited, its natives suspicious and violent. And increasing areas of countryside are turning into Demonground, from which few humans return.

When an ancient, brooding evil is released from its dimensional prison, humankind’s worse nightmares come to life. What is the link between this sinister horror and the mysterious holes in the ozone layer, the rise of empathically aware humans, and the alien visitors from another star system?

For the few men and women perceptive enough to recognize the danger and resourceful enough to fight it, the battle to recapture humankind’s birthright will be long and costly.

Can you push back the dark?

From the web:

The game is set in the early 21st century after the "Greater Depression" has destroyed the global economy. Focusing on the United States, the game describes a country undergoing slow collapse. Most of the largest cities have continued to expand and formed massive metroplexes, in some cases covering entire states' worth of land. Outside of the metroplexes the majority of the country has become known as "Outlaw" where there is virtually no federal or state protection and the road network is barely maintained between the glittering lights of the Metroplexes. Scattered throughout the Outlaw and even in the darker and more forbidding areas of the Metroplexes, zones known as "Demonground" have begun to appear. Out of these areas spread monsters, everything from legendary creatures such as Vampires and Werewolves, to the science fiction nightmares of aliens and cyborgs. The PCs typically assume the roles of people who have stumbled across this "Dark Invasion" and taken up arms against it.

The first edition uses a d10 to resolve skill checks.

 

 

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Field Guide to Encounters Vol. 1 & 2 (1982) - Judges Guild


From the front cover:

"Two huge volumes containing rules and guidelines for the new role playing system, 600 familiar and not-so-familiar monsters, provisions for godhood, and intelligent character monsters. Good for hours of intriguing fun!"

Monday, May 1, 2023

GURPS Voodoo: The Shadow War (1995)

From the back cover:

"Before the dawn of history, mankind pierced the veil between the material world and ... something else. Perhaps one person in hundred could perceive a little more than the rest. One in thousands gained true power. Some of these Initiates used their supernatural talents to aid their people. Others became predators, or rulers, or the secret power behind rulers.

"When the Europeans crossed the Atlantic to conquer the Americas, their Initiates – the ancient Lodges – came with them, crushing the natives' mystic defenders. But a new force arose. From Initiates among African slaves, from surviving native shamans, from knowledge stolen from the Lodges themselves, Voodoo was born – a powerful magical religion, whose gods, the loas, actually possess, or "ride," their followers.

"For centuries, the Voodoo Initiates and the Brethren of the Lodges have waged their invisible war. Now both sides realize that they face an even greater enemy: the Corruptors, cannibal spirits that feed on the misery of mankind."

 

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Chill Companion (1991)

From the back of the book:

"This 160-page hardbound reference work is a must for every fan of horror role-playing. The Chill Companion traces horror as a genre through fiction and film, covering everything from the Gothic novel to slasher and modern psychological horror films. Each medium is described in full, enabling game masters to design scenarios and campaigns based on each type.

The Chill rules are expanded with new skills, edges & drawbacks * optional rules for using magic * psionic dueling * Resolve * and step-by-step guidelines for scenario design. Also included are statistics for: Dr. Van Helsing * Dr. Frankenstein * Dr. Caligari * Dr. Jekyll * Mr. Hyde * Quasimodo * and more!"

 

Saturday, April 29, 2023

Gamma World (1992) - Fourth Edition

From the back cover:

The New GAMMA WORLD game!

A rainbow of flickering colors dances across the night sky. Turning, you shamble off into the jumble of cloud towers amid the glow. With an effort of willpower you float over the gaping chasm of soft rock and steel. Your large, webbed feet paddle the air slowly.

 

Friday, April 28, 2023

GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures (1992)

From the web:

"The gritty world of GURPS Cyberpunk is filled with danger, violence and exotic beauty. This book presents three adventures that capture the dark essence of life in the streets of the all-too-near future.

Each adventure offers challenging puzzles, mysterious encounters and heart-stopping action.

GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Adventure of 1992!"

 

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Volo's Guide to All Things Magical (1996)

From the back of the book:

For aeons, folk have struggled to master the world of Toril through the use of magic. The human race has stolen what magical knowledge it can from the elves and other races, gained more through worship, and created the rest by building on the work of those who have gone before. For centuries human wizards have experimented with new spells and variations on existing magic, striving to grow ever more powerful. They have succeeded to an astonishing degree, but through the death of secretive mages and the destruction of realms and entire peoples, much of the lore they built has been lost, hidden, or distorted. To pierce this heavy cloak of missing knowledge, cryptic sorcerous codes, and misinformation requires a writer of rare daring, persistence, and magical skill. Such a man is Volothamp Geddarm, famous traveler of the Realms - and this is the most important, long-suppressed work, the book that archwizards could not keep from your hands!

Read this 128-page tome, and learn:
> How mages gain special powers for themselves - including the awesome ability known as spellfire.
> How items may be enchanted to fire forth magic once, twice, or whenever called upon.
> The best materials from which to construct magic items.
> Powerful spells spells that have hitherto been the secrets of the most puissant archmages.
> Details of the many fell, awesome artifacts of the Realms known to exist.
> Lore about teleportation, magical wards, guardian spells, and site of power.
> Much, much more that most wizards would have liked to remain hidden from the eyes of their rivals - and common folk not skilled in magic - forever!

Suitable for all levels of play.

 Special note: This edition of Volo's Guide to All Things Magical, intended for travelers from beyond the borders of Faerun, have been heavily rewritten and contains game notes and commentary by the famous sage and archmage Elminster of Shadowdale.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

EverQuest Player's Handbook (2002)


From the back cover:

It's Your World Now!
Discover the world of EverQuest in an entirely new way with the EverQuest: Player's Handbook. Included in this comprehensive edition you get details on:
Never before revealed secrets of the world of Norrath
All 14 character races
All 15 character classes
EverQuest's mana-based magic system with over 1,000 spells
Details of new quests you can unlock online

100% compatible with 3rd edition fantasy role-playing rules This mammoth volume provides everything you need to create your own adventures in the world of Norrath or introduce the best of EverQuest into your existing game.

 

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

High-Level Campaigns (1995)

From the back of the book:

What's a DM to do when the player characters in his campaign become so powerful that nothing in the world is a challenge for them anymore? Just what are the essential ingredients in an adventure geared toward high-level play?

Here is a trove of advice and new rules for every AD&D game Dungeon Master who wishes to create adventures for truly legendary heroes. Find everything you need to create encounters that confound the craftiest wizard and chill the most valiant warrior's heart. Discover the power of True Dweomers, the mightiest spells ever. Build new realities for your heroes to explore. Learn how to conduct magical duels and oversee the creation of magical items. Expand the horizons of your gaming experience with High-Level Campaigns.

 

Monday, April 24, 2023

FRM1: The Jungles of Chult (1993)

From the back of the book:

Come, all ye seekers after treasure beyond your ken and adventure greater than any you can dream!

Come, all ye mighty warriors, seekers after prey worthy of your peerless skills, and stalk the Children of Ubtao. Walk the streets of the city of Mezro, of the Maze of Life. Meet the barae, the holy warriors of Ubtao, those men and women who will live forever sustained by their wisdom and their faith.

Wizards, be prepared for new magical spells and new methods of magic use based on gemstones.

Search the jungles of Chult for the fabled emerald mines, for the Heart of the Jungle, a single gem as large as a man's heart.

Also within these pages are new monsters and new character kits: Mage hunters, specialty priests of Ubtao, and spiritlords.

This adventure is designed for 6 to 8 characters of levels 5 to 8.

 

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Labyrinth of Madness (1995)

From the back cover:

"Sinister, twisting images...Horrific nightmares lurking at the corners of the mind...These are descriptions used to tell the tales of the Labyrinth of Madness. But these tales of the labyrinth are only legends, really, nothing more than stories used to frighten children at night - until a mysterious scepter is found, bearing within its crystal head a visage of insanity and terror, and also delivering a message: "Disturb not the Labyrinth of Madness again, and live a while longer." Now a powerful temple suffers from a tragic curse that is somehow linked to the labyrinth. Does there exist a group of heroes who can penetrate this dark and terrible place to life the curse...and survive?

Labyrinth of Madness is a multiple-level, three- dimensional dungeon adventure, a puzzle within a puzzle, that commemorates 20 years of gaming with TSR."

 

Saturday, April 22, 2023

FRA1: Storm Riders (1990)

From the back cover:

"The Horde is Riding!

The mountains rumble under the thundering hoof beats of 40,000 barbaric horsemen. When the player characters find themselves in their path they have no choice except to flee.

Their journey takes them into the forbidden kingdom of Ra-Khati, a land of ancient mysteries and untold wealth nestled deep within the Katakoro Mountains. As honored guests they are invited to partake of its extravagance. Wealth, power, romance - anything can be theirs for the asking. That is, anything short of their freedom!

But when invaders threaten the Hidden Kingdom, the player characters are given a chance to earn their liberty. They are charged with escorting a spoiled princess and her dowry, a ferocious black stallion, to a nearby kingdom as a bribe to stop a war. Nothing stand in their way except 40,000 bloodthirsty riders and a vengeful purple dragon."

 

Friday, April 21, 2023

FRA2: Black Courser (1990)

From the back cover:

"The Purple Dragon is caged!

But Ra-Khati isn't out of danger. The evil Raja Ambuchar Devayam is holding the Dalai Lama to his promise. If the player-characters don't deliver Princess Bhrokiti and the Black Courser to him - and even if they do - the Raja's foul army will once again march on the Hidden Kingdom. What is it that Devayam really wants with Ra-Khati?

Only your player-characters can discover the awful truth. When they do, their journey will take them to the farthest reaches of Shou Lung. Providing they can escape the diabolic assassin sent to stop them, they will find the lost city of Kuo Meilan. There, they must penetrate to the lost city's wicked heart and find the Stone Scepter of Shih. Only armed with this artifact, and the secret connecting it to Ambuchar Davayam, can they hope to save Ra-Khati - or themselves."

 

Thursday, April 20, 2023

FRA3: Blood Charge (1990)

From the back cover:

"The Stone Scepter has been recovered!

But will it be enough to stop the Raja of Solon? Ambuchar Devayam has massed 10,000 zombies on Ra-Khati's border. Only Gaumahavi, the Great Dragon of the Purple Wastes, stand between him and the Hidden Kingdom. Yet even she cannot face Ambuchar alone, for the evil raja has recovered an archaic Imaskari relic that render him invincible.

If Ra-Khati is to be saved and the player characters are to escape the raja's curse, Ambuchar Devayama must be stopped. But how? The player characters' search for a solution will embroil them in Tuigan politics, lure them to the Red Mountain Monastery's forbidden halls, and lead them into ancient Solon itself, where Ambuchar's slaves - both living and undead - toil to make him even more dangerous."

 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Faiths & Avatars (1996)

From the back of the book:

What makes a god a god? How are divine powers created, and how do they die? How powerful is a greater deity compared to a lesser deity? These questions and many more are answered for the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting within Faiths & Avatars.

Detailed in this 192-page core supplement are the most prominent religions and deities of the Realms. Each divine power is covered in depth by an entry that includes information about the deity's appearance, personality, worshipers, portfolio, aliases, domain name, superior, allies, foes, symbol, worshipers' alignments, avatar, manifestations, church, and specialty priests. The information on each religion includes its core dogma, day-to-day activities of priests, holy days and important ceremonies, major centers of worship, affiliated orders, and the priestly vestments and adventuring garb of members of the clergy. Finally, each entry contains spells specific to each of the religions - some new, some long unavailable or hard to find, and some updated to conform with the current AD&D game rules.

Faiths & Avatars includes:

  • All the greater, intermediate, and lesser deities of the Faerûnian pantheon.
  • The honored dead, including Bane, Bhaal, Moander, Myrkul, and Leira, among others.
  • Expanded and clarified specialty priest classes and specific spells for all religions with priesthoods.
  • Color illustrations of priests from every faith in ceremonial dress.
  • Four additional general priest classes now official to the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting: crusaders, monks, mystics, and shamans.

Suitable for all levels of play.

 

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Valley of the Mists (1982)

From the back cover

"Come visit Hida Province in the land of Nippon. Be wary, though, for all is not well. The ruling clan is not as secure as they would wish. Enemies surround them on all sides and, perhaps, even lurk within their domain. Mystery, magic, and menace await the bold adventurers who shall eventually descend into the Valley of the Mists."

 

Monday, April 17, 2023

D3: Vault of the Drow (1978)

From the web:

"This module provides a complete setting for play of the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules. Contained herein is background information, a large-scale referee's map with a matching partial map for players, referee' notes, special exploration and encounter pieces, a hex map detailing an enormous cavern area, a special temple map, encounter and map matrix keys, and additional sections pertaining to unique new creatures for use with this module and the game as a whole. This module can be played alone, as the conclusion to module D1-2 (DESCENT ITO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH) or a the third module in a series that forms a special extended adventure (G1-2-3 AGAINST THE GIANTS, D1-2, AND Q1 QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS).
 

Sunday, April 16, 2023

D2: Shrine of the Kuo-Toa (1978)

From the web:

Dungeon Module D2 is the second of three modules in the D series. It can be played alone or in conjunction with G series modules and the Q1 module. I contains both a player and dungeon master version of the temple complex. It also introduces 2 new monsters for use in the module and or AD&D in general.
 

Saturday, April 15, 2023

D1: Descent Into the Depths of the Earth (1978)


 From the web:

The final confrontation with the giant, King Snurre, and the entry of mighty adventurers into the caverns under his stronghold (DUNGEON MODULE G3, HALL OF THE FIRE GIANT KING) discovered the Dark Elves, the Drow, had instigated the giant alliance and its warfare upon mankind and its allied races.

This module contains background information, a large-scale referee's map with a matching partial map for players, referee's notes, special exploration and encounter pieces, a large map detailing a cavern area, encounter and map matrix keys, and an additional section pertaining to a unique new creature for use with this module and the game as a whole. A complete setting for play of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is contained herein. This module can be played alone, as the first part of a series of three modules (with SHRINE OF THE KUO-TOA, D2, and VAULT OF THE DROW, D3), or as the fourth part of a continuing series of modules which form a special progressive campaign scenario (DUNGEON MODULES G1, G2, G3, D1, D2, D3, and Q1, (QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS).

Friday, April 14, 2023

The Palladium Role-Playing Game (Revised Edition) (1983)

From the web:

"A fantasy RPG written at the time of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that tried to overcome some of the limitations of that system. To that end, some of the unique features of the Palladium RPG at the time were:

  • Several more player races including Troglodyte, Troll, Ogre, Orc, Kobold, Wolfen, Changeling, Hobgoblin, & Goblin
  • Expanded character class system that included 8 martial (fighting) types, 6 magic-user types, and 4 clergy types
  • A primary and secondary skill system
  • An expansive magic system that includes traditional wizardry (spell) magic as well as witchcraft, elemental magic, circles/symbols, demonology and illusions
  • A unique protection system in which armour degrades as it is used (Structural Damage Capacity (SDC))
  • A religion system that borrowed heavily from H.P. Lovecraft as well as Egyptian mythology"


 

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Alchemy Companion (1992)


From the back cover:

Alchemy Companion (AlC) consolidates and supplements Rolemaster's classic system for creating magic items. AlC gives gamemasters many new enhancements for the Alchemists in their campaign, while it gives players new options for the manipulation of magic. There's something for everyone interested in objects of power and for those who fabricate them. Prepare to expand your horizons with the Alchemy Companion!

Within this Grimoire you'll find:
  • Complete rules which make Alchemy a vibrant part of your campaign.
  • New methods, options, and procedures devoted to creation of magic items.
  • Detailed information on how to craft your own unique, individual Alchemy system. Simulate everything from authentic Medieval practices to high-powered magical environments.
  • Dozens of new skills, Static Action Tables, Critical Strikes, and Item Creation Charts all relating to Alchemy. Includes a Magical Item Interaction Critical Strikes Table for resolving simultaneous multiple item usage.
  • More than fifteen new professions illustrating the rich varieties of Alchemists within different cultures; from Grand Viziers and Thaumaturges to Evil Alchemists and Charlatans--they're all here!
  • Plus, over 70 new spell lists containing more than 1500 spells, all dealing with the High Art of Alchemy!

 

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991)

 Slight explanation for the lapse in posts. Back from an extended hospital stay after a coronary incident.

From the back cover:

Whether you're a player or a Dungeon Master, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Rules Cyclopedia is now the comprehensive sourcebook you need for the original fantasy role-playing game! For ages 12 and up, the Cyclopedia contains the complete game system and hundreds of features including:

  • All the rules from the D&D Boxed Set series, including Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters.
  • Guidelines to develop and play characters from levels 1-36.
  • Comprehensive lists of weaponry and equipment.
  • Expansion rules including optional skills and talents.
  • An overview of the Known World and the HOLLOW WORLD game settings, the official D&D campaign world.
  • Rules to convert D&D games and characters into AD&D 2nd Edition game statistics and back again.

Fully compatible with the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Boxed Set, this volume allows players the full scope of fantasy role-playing from the dungeons to the Outer Planes. Now, more than ever, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is ready and waiting for you!


 

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