Author: Joe Johnston
Price: $1.99 (RPGNOW)
Format: PDF
Page count: 50
System: Taskboy Games (Labyrinth Lord)
Year: 2015
In an ideal world I would have published this review some time ago. Due to various intruding responsibilities I have literally pried the time from the clutches of the space/time continuum, and just generally said "damn you" to my generally incessant manic life. +Joe Johnston messaged me on G+ and said: "I would like to send you a PDF copy of Manse on Murder Hill" Well, who am I to argue with him? Of course I said yes! The progeny of that encounter is the very review you now read.
The Manse on Murder Hill is a Labyrinth Lord adventure for levels 1-3. The adventure states 6-10 players can run through this adventure (big group!). The background of this module revolves around the town of Little Flanders - and pertains to a mansion atop Fairview Hill. 15 years ago a whole bunch of nasty stuff happened within the mansion, and the townsfolk have avoided speaking of the manse since. Recently children have gone missing, and the small village has begged the PCs to provide some aid - offering reward of course.
Like Johnston's other adventures, the premise is laid out clearly and simply. For anyone seeking a quick adventure, and not have to worry about plots within plots, within sub-plots this is a useful convention, and I again laud Johnston for his clarity.
The Good
Like its recent brother Tranzar's Redoubt, The Manse on Murder Hill is attractively presented. In fact it is a re-presenation of an earlier work of Johnston's - receiving a retroactive polishing. Compared with the original, this is a much-needed improvement, and thematically it looks very elegant alongside Tranzar's. The illustrations are very reminiscent of a TSR module but not in a kitsch way. The cartography is clean and clear. My favourite "artistic" piece within the module however, had to be the Appendix E: Little Flanders map. It reminds me of the tiles in the game Carcassonne. The booklet also comes with five player handouts, dovetailing with the narrative of the module - a bounty notice, three letters and an "arcane scroll".
The various tables within The Manse are interesting. I particularly liked the menu. Rather than the standard fantasy fare of "mead" or "ale", differing descriptions were given, adding a bit of local flavour to the adventure. I do similar things in my own games, so call me biased. A common issue I experience in adventures is determining the level of assistance NPCs are willing to provide adventurers. Luckily Manse details this fairly explicitly with a table dedicated to the amount of clerical aid PCs can likely expect, and the prices associated with this help. I have a sneaking suspicion the illusions table (found within the mansion itself) borrow fairly liberally from Gygax's DMG appendices. I like this touch, and again, in my own adventure writing this is something I have been....er...known to do. The rooms are almost overflowing with monsters, but the odds attributed to the random encounter table took this into account, being balanced and reasonable.
Another addition I found useful is the inclusion of training opportunities for players. If you're running a game where training is mandatory for levelling (I do), this is a welcome addition. I mean, duh, I could probably work out a few places where would-be levelees can train, but having it mentioned outright is both useful and respectful of this style of play - which is sometimes overlooked in other editions/games.
The intelligent use of monsters was certainly a welcome change from the mindless hoard mentality. The monsters in The Manse are not imbecilic automatons, but actually have a manifesto, and will stick to it. This creates a sense of verisimilitude, and becomes less of a computer game (clear the level), and more of a role-playing game.
The Manse is an adventure that can be run with minimal prep. Running it on-the-fly might be a stretch - a good read is necessary first - but thereafter you could happily run four sessions at least with virtually no extra work. Overall the feel of the place has throwbacks to the haunted house in U1, and is definitely old school. Some traps were lethal, some illusory, but they were largely well executed (if you will excuse the pun). The odds of locating traps were reasonable, and when saving throws really mattered little bonuses were offered to avoid the most deleterious effects. I imagine these little mechanical tweaks cut down on the party attrition rate.
Various mundane items within The Manse were novel. One item was a tome whose contents actually had some internal detailing, rather than the usual:
"Uhh...you find a book."
"Awesome! What does it say?"
"Uhhhh..."
This gives the LL/DM/Ref some good ideas to play with. The adventure concluded with a few further adventure hooks, which I thought was a nice finishing touch.
The Bad
Although I give this work a positive review, and overall I feel like it's a very solid effort, there were a few quibbles. I felt like the latter half of the mansion adventure was far more interesting than the first part. Initially it's a very tropological D&D adventure - small town, evil orcs, goblins and kobolds. If you love this about D&D you're probably prone to enjoy the entirety of the adventure, if not, you may find it a little prosaic. The latter part really shone in my opinion, and it seemed very much like an adventure site of two halves.
One part of the text discusses pre-generated characters appearing in the index (pg. 5). For the life of me, I could not find these pre-gens! The game also assumes you are using Labyrinth Lord, and apparently omits some monster statistics - referring the reader to the LL rules. This is not really an issue for me, and I'm sure anyone buying this will be capable of converting it to whatever edition they're using, but I thought it worth mentioning in case it's a deal breaker for the reader. Another niggle was the d40 rumour table. I don't own a d40, and it is a little annoying to have to mentally work out how to make one. Fortunately there are instructions on how to use two dice to create a d40, but this is a little clunky. Probably not an issue for many, but it bears mentioning.
This adventure is well stocked, there is nearly something in every room. I like to have sparser dungeons, as I feel they make a bit more ecological sense, but I applaud Johnston's efforts at cramming this place full of baddies. At times however the dungeon ecology felt a little bizarre - undead and some goblinoids in adjacent rooms. Is the locked door really going to keep the undead out, especially if they're ravenous for the taste of flesh? But once again, a stylistic choice rather than any inherent flaw.
Final Thoughts
Should you buy The Manse On Murder Hill? Undoubtedly and unequivocally yes. It is a nice little adventure, self-contained and quaint. It has some delightful trimmings in places, that other authors either overlook or ignore. You can tell a lot of thought has been put into this module, and it is richer because of it. The quibbles I have are very subjective, and are stylistic more than anything. I liked Tranzar's Redoubt for the zany flavour, but I feel like The Manse is probably a more cohesive piece. If I had to choose between the two, and knowing the contents of both, I would probably choose this current work. The price is almost laughably cheap. What have you got to lose besides $1.99?
I really admire Joe's tenacity - this guy is an indie designer in the truest sense of the word. I know he works very hard to make these adventurers. For what is presumably a one-man operation he is doing a fine job indeed! Thanks for another adventure Joe.
Author: Joe Johnston
Price: $1.99/$6.99 (RPGNOW)
Format: PDF/Print
Page count: 44
System: Taskboy Games (Labyrinth Lord)
Year: 2015
It wasn't much more than a month ago since I reviewed +Joe Johnston's FREE How To Hexcrawl guide. You may remember that I reviewed it favourably with the caveat that the artwork had room for improvement - though being a free product I could hardly complain.
When Jo asked whether I'd like a review copy of his new adventure Tranzar's Redoubt I immediately put up my hand. Firstly because I like free stuff, and secondly because I enjoyed his writing style the first time around. It was clear and easy to digest.
The Good
Tranzar's Redoubt is a Labyrinth Lord compatible adventure. It is stated to be ideal for 4-8 characters of levels 4-6. The overall appearance of this work gets a big tick. Tranzar's Redoubt makes good use of appealing fonts, presentable tables, sensical layout, evocative illustrations by +David Guyll and one of +Dyson Logos's distinctive maps. The illustrations are 'classic' without subscribing to an imitable rehash of an old TSR product, as some OSR products habitually attempt. Overall, I can feel the vibe, without being bored by yet another attempt to capture 'the good old days' *
The adventure background is straightforward and involves the namesake of the title. Tranzar was/is a maligned and destructive wizard who unwittingly made a foolish pact with a...tree...for immortality. He was betrayed by the tree, who he had previously saved, and is now in a non-corporeal state within a cave.
Four logical suggestions are provided for 'Getting the Party Involved'. Obviously the DM/Referee/Labyrinth Lord can add additional seeds according to their own whim or purpose.
The redoubt is filled with horrible vines and pods, which makes an interesting change to the regular, bare-stone dungeon. It provides the adventurers with an additional hazard to navigate too, which can only make life more exciting. Again, the dungeon dressing is described clearly and succinctly. A small table provides vine effects. The effects are largely undesirable, yet not so harsh as to be unfair - generally a -1 penalty to a task, or a small amount of damage. It adds flavour, and has an in-game consequence which I quite like.
The dungeon (or cave) is relatively simple. There is a secret door to additional chambers, but otherwise the complex is relatively linear. There are some interesting areas like '16. Gold on the Ceiling'. I won't spoil the contents of the room, but the name reminded me of this |m|. The flavour of the adventure is right up my alley, especially the likes of Mr. Gravelskin and his tea party, which very much appeals to my whimsy. There are some definitely lethal perils within this cave too. It's not all fun and games, let me tell you.
Besides the meat of the adventure there are some other goodies in the end portion of Tranzar's Redoubt. The 'Pretty Little Things' section details the curiosities and magic items to be found within this adventure. 'Creatures Large And Small' provide some additional critters and NPCs unique to the adventure, while 'Under-Over' is a mini wager game. There are 6 pre-gen characters included, all with a brief background to assist getting into the action. Finally there is a player handout 'The Lay of Sword and Crown' - a brief poem detailing the tale of Tranzar.
The Bad
The 'Under-Over' table I found difficult to comprehend, but I suspect it is actually as simple as the table suggests.The explanation did more to confuse me than clarify, and the examples seemed incongruous with the rules. I wasn't sure what to make of it which is disappointing because I like gambling games. That part of the adventure would have benefitted with some clarification and improvement. There are some substantial treasures within the adventure that may need pruning depending on the style of campaign you're running (I like things to be pretty lean). Clearly that is the liberty and preference of whoever is running the game. I would not consider that aspect to be a flaw necessarily - though it was noticeable. Finally, the map is placed in the middle of the adventure, which from a functional perspective seemed a bit odd. Besides those three quibbles (the latter two being very minor), this product is exceptionally well executed.
Final Thoughts
Tranzar's Redoubt is a commendable little adventure. I can imagine running this, and even found it to be exciting at times. With the abundance of (free or paid) adventures on the market, you need a product that will stand out in some way. Tranzar's Redoubt stood out to me. It's a solid adventure, with some interesting ideas. It's easy to grasp and is well written. The atmosphere of the adventure was tangible, and I imagine it will gel nicely with any style of fantasy campaign. I can wholeheartedly recommend this. Preferably buy a print copy.
*If as an author/publisher/artist/whatever, you can actually capture the vibe of 'the good old days' that's great. If you do it well it may even be something special. But progress and innovation involves building on solid tropes and fondly remembered ideas, rather than remaining in nostalgic memory. Therein lies creative decay. The truly great products of the OSR are able to achieve something new in my opinion. These products offer inspiration, without the burden of nostalgia weighing them down, yet remain a distinct homage or celebration of what was loved.
Author: Joe Johnston (Taskboy Games)
Price: Pay what you want
Format: PDF
Page count: 27
System: Labyrinth Lord (or any OSR/Old School FRP).
Year: 2015
The context of this supplement assumes the reader will be using a Labyrinth Lord or Dungeons & Dragons B/X rule-set for their gaming (Basic & Expert), referencing both within this work.
The Good
Very clear presentation. It was easy to read, only taking me about five minutes or so to get through it. For the complete newcomer to this style of gaming (the hexcrawl) it inevitably provides some very solid advice, and in many ways is a how-to in a step-by-step format. This aspect of it was very useful. Additionally it provided a few options for cases where rules may be slightly ambiguous or open to interpretation. All manner of considerations are covered in this short albeit substantial tome - wilderness travel, weather, mounts and equipment, fatigue, getting lost, resting, rates of travel, hunting, and foraging. The end section of this manual provides a page of resources for those interested in finding additional hexcrawl material online. It is a particularly practical supplement, and accompanied with a very simple FRPG rule-set, one could almost run a complete game with this. I have always found the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide to be far too dense in its explanation of wilderness travel, and this supplement really distilled the whole concept/style into a digestible format.
The Bad
In terms of content an impressive brevity of words has been achieved, minimising superfluous description. This is the real merit of this work in my opinion. Its content I cannot critique. Layout is generally presentable, however I would like to see a revised edition at some stage with commissioned artwork and layout. It felt very 'home job' to me (which it no doubt was). It was almost exclusively public domain artwork which isn't an issue, but I would have preferred some self-drawn maps (matching the hex map at the bottom of each page), along with some illustrations that mirrored that style. This would have provided a more consistent vibe and aesthetic overall. As I've said before, when something is free you can't really complain, but I guess I am a little!
Final Thoughts
This work undoubtedly clarified some of my own ambiguities surrounding the hexcrawl-style game. I tend to run things fairly differently than the way Johnston presents, preferring to 'fast forward' certain bits, resulting in a less hexy game overall. It did inspire me somewhat to run an entirely hex-based campaign, with various points of interest though, and I can see why this style of gaming is favoured by some. As a free download it's certainly worth checking out at least, and I'm certain you'll glean something useful from it, whether you are a master-hexer or a complete novice. The only real let-down, in my opinion, was the artwork.
