Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds is a sourcebook for Fantasy Hero from Hero Games that was written by Allen Thomas and Jason Walters. It contains detailed descriptions for three fantasy genre related locations and briefer descriptions of eight others.

The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds is 8.5? x 11? and is 127 pages in length. There is a fairly detailed table of contents but no index. I have used Wickshine’s Last Inn in my Fantasy Hero campaign but the other locations I have only read at this point. I purchased a printed copy that I will be reviewing.

-== What I Like ==-

The first of the more detailed locations covered in the book is titled, “A Night Out Of The Rain”. It details the Wickshine’s Last Inn, the staff and guests, as well as a great mystery story. This one might be my favorite in the book for several reasons. First I really enjoyed the NPC presented in this section. The staff and a set of guests are each given quite a lot of detail and many are very original. The story and background of The Wick, as the locals call it, is also very nicely done and could easily be snapped into any campaign world. I made just slight changes and I was able to port it directly into my Spirit Storm campaign which is a bit different from many fantasy settings. The maps are also extremely useful. The main inn map can be used over and over again. (If you pick up a copy do a quick search on the Hero Games forums and you can find a link to a graphic version of the maps in full color that is just great. 😉 )

The third long location covered in Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds is called “Eisburk-Beyond-The-Shoals”. This setting is a castle and nearby surrounding area. The adventure involves the castle being besieged while the PC are visiting. I thought the NPC from Eisburk were fine but not as original as those from “A Night Out Of The Rain”. The castle maps are nice and could be reused with little to no changes. I was not so happy with the adventure. There are some moments of intrigue but I wanted to see more player focus and less mass combat. I’m not sure I would have picked a setting with a mass combat adventure for likely the only location book that I might produce.

The other eight locations that are covered in less detail include an abbey with a dark secret, a noble manor, an ifrit’s bottle, a raucous taproom, a potion shop, a prison, a farmhouse, and a mage tower. I particularly liked the abbey, ifrit’s bottle, and prison. The abbey has a neat twist and felt like it could easily be slipped into any campaign world. I liked the ifrit’s bottle because it is really original and tons of fun. This location is not about the reuse but more about the associated adventure. I like the way the ifrit’s bottle adventure sets up rooms to test the party physically and mentally. Very nicely done. I thought adding a prison was a nice touch as it instantly made me think about fantasy setting prisons in my own campaign. This place is waiting to be broken in to or out of. I was not so happy with the taproom or mage tower. I thought the taproom was too over the top. The NPC feel like someones party and it doesn’t sit good. The maps are fairly useful though. The mage tower was not one of my favorites because of the NPC. The NPC are “goody-goody” and the adventure suggestions are too much like “Kindergarten Cop”. I would have rather liked to see an evil mage tower with all the trappings.

As you might imagine cartography is important in a book where the focus is on locations. The maps were done by Keith Curtis and they are excellent. There is just enough detail and texture without going overboard. I also really like the fact that the maps are repeated at the end of the book for easy reference.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

The second of the detailed locations is called “From Out Of The Depths”. This was my least favorite setting in the book. The setting involves a mine with an alien ship at the bottom. That’s right…an alien ship. Putting a crashed alien ship at the bottom of your Fantasy Hero dungeon crawl may work for some campaigns but for most it will fall very flat. As it is one of the detailed settings there is also a lot of details on each room. Boy it really feels like wasted space to me. Along similar lines these maps have little to no reuse value. I would have rather have seen this be one of the shorter locations and have the prison or abbey given more pages.

Even though I really like the cartography in Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds I am not super happy with the color cover art. Keith Curtis did not only the cartography but the cover art as well. In my opinion the cover feels a bit juvenile and does not catch one’s eye from across the room. The interior art is done by different artists and it fine to good.

-== Summary ==-

If you are looking for some well done fantasy locations for your Fantasy Hero campaign I would definitely give this product a look. The cover price is $24.99 which seems just about right for this page count and content. You can get it in PDF format at DriveThruRPG at this URL for $16.99. Here is a link to the product at Noble Knight Games for $18.00. FInally you can get it at Amazon.com for $24.99 at this URL.

I give it 7 out of 10 paws.

Date At Start Of Game: 09/29/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 12th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Mercenary Camp

After speaking with the surviving avatars of the Great Stone Mountain the PC head off to first investigate the mercenary camp. The teams spy-master Bilby finds a band of roughly 10 thugs with two Boar Kin that are leading them. They are around a fire and appear to be in good spirits. There are piles of goods around but no captives. On nearby hills Bilby finds 3 hidden scouts. The PC reason that there are no hostages so they must have just sold them to the Ant Kin from the temple. Thus the PC decide to hit the temple first.

The Temple Of Shazartza

Bilby finds two stone doors set into a mountainside. These doors are quite large and depict flaming figures writhing in agony. Across the top of the door is a woman’s face with a twisted smirk. Her arms are outstretched to the edges of the door. The rest of the party come up when Bilby does not hear anything on the other side of the door. Cillian looks for traps then peers through the door. He then removes a bolt on the door using his wind powers.

After opening the door Bilby creeps down a set of stairs into a large chamber with a stone statue of Shazartza sitting on the throne. She stares down the center of the room. On the sides of the room are skeletons. When Bilby moves away from the center of the room the skeletons close. Cillian recommends going right down the middle. Carefully the PC skirt the statue and move into a second larger chamber.

This chamber has pillars and a statue of Shazartza who is kneeling down with arms outstretched over a sunken pit. When the PC enter the pit lights with a magical flame that licks at the bottom of her outstretched hands. As they cross the room Bilby senses with his Bat Kin sonar that a side door is cracked open. He also hears movement behind it. Carefully Bilby alerts Cillian who is creeping across the room. From behind the door Cillian approaches and peers through the wall. He sees am Ant Kin warrior watching the door. Behind him and down a ramp he sees another Ant Kin. This second Ant Kin is covered in blood and is carrying the head of Miya (aka the Deer Kin archer from the other avatar team) and a bloody hatchet. Eventually Cillian and Bilby return to alert the rest of the party who are waiting at a wide entrance on the far side of the room. After alerting the party a hoard of 12 Ant Kin warriors emerge from the doorway! They have four arms and carry multiple weapons. As the small Ant Kin close across the large room Cillian and Kanga open fire with bows. Po starts casting curse spells. Kanga is firing with such accuracy that he is felling an Ant Kin with every shot! When the Ant Kin reach the party Oren balls up around Cillian to protect him from the onslaught. The Ant Kin use precise teamwork and some terrible blows to fell the tough Oren in one round of attacks! When Oren falls the PC react quickly. Po casts a spirit surged heal spell on Oren with amazing effect. Kanga continues to fell the Ant Kin warriors with critical hits using his amazing luck. Bilby jumps down on one Ant Kin warrior and assassinates it while Cillian changes to a sword and starts hacking away. This gives Oren enough time to recover and sweep the Ant Kin warriors to deadly effect! The last two start to run but are pinned by Kanga then cut down by Po, Bilby, and Cillian. With that the group acknowledges the comments from the Great Stone Mountain avatars…you do not want to fight these guys in a hoard especially in an open room.

What other horrors await the PC in the evil volcanic temple…

Date At End Of Game: 09/30/206

-== What is it? ==-

The Esoterror Factbook (EF) is a supplement written for The Esoterrorists. It is published by Pelgrane Press and written by Robin Laws. The book has additional background information, setting material (NPC and locations), optional rules, and a mini-campaign setting where the PC can play in the paramilitary arm of the Ordo Veritatis (OV) called the Special Suppression Forces (SSF).

The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. The book is 8 1/2? x 11″ and is 150 pages in length. It includes a detailed table of contents, a one page glossary, and an index. I have not played a game using this supplement (i.e. I have only read the book).

-== What I Like ==-

When I read The Esoterrorists my biggest complaint was with the lack of background material on the OV. The information in the main book is very sparse. Well…here it is in the first section of EF. This information really explains the OV and how they operate in the field. There is a lot of fantastic detail here. Frankly this section should be added to the main rulebook if Pelgrane ever decides to release an updated version of the main rulebook.

Following this is a section about the SSF. It is fairly short and would appeal to those who want to play The Esoterrorists with a stronger military presence. Personally I think the key to the system and the genre is the investigation aspect so I was not super keen on this section.

After the SSF material is a section with optional combat rules. I like the way these are approached as the GM is encouraged to pick and choose from the options to select the ones they want use. I really liked several of these rules and my combat hungry players would pick up on several of them very quickly. The Critical Hits rule is simple and nicely done.

I loved the section called The Enemy. This section covers various enemy personality types and how they can be interrogated effectively. The way this section is written makes it a blast to read and really informative. I really think this section should be read by most players and GM who are playing in ANY genre where people are being interrogated. This section is frankly that good. 😀

The setting information includes data on suspected cells and their key members. I really enjoyed how Robin tied all of these together. The bits that connect the various factions really makes them feel realistic.

Locations where events have occurred in the past (aka LMSLs (Low Membrane Strength Locations)) are also covered. These LMSLs range from prefabricated houses to a meteor crater north of Siberia. These again tie back to the cells and suspected Esoterrorists in a very organic fashion. This setting material is really fantastic stuff that every GM can adapt to their campaign.

Jerome Huguenin did a great job on the cover for The Esoterror Factbook. The shadow in the background is creepy and it is tons of fun examining the cover closely to find that extra clue. I also think the pinkish coloring is different and catches your attention from across the room.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

One of my few complaints with the book is the busy and dark interior layout. I am fine with artistic layouts but especially in a book like this with supplemental information that could be referenced often it needs to be readable.

-== Summary ==-

To put it mildly this book is a fantastic addition to The Esoterrorist product line. I honestly think that this might be one of the best supplemental books that I have read for ANY setting…it is that good. If you are going to buy The Esoterrorists save your money until you can both the main rulebook AND this one. The book sells for $29.95 which feels a bit high but not outrageously so. You can get a copy from Noble Knight Games at this URL for $24.95. You can get a copy at Amazon.com at this URL for $29.95. Finally they have it in PDF format at DriveThruRPG for $14.95 at this URL. Wow! $14.95 is cheap! I may have to get the PDF version too. 🙂

I give it 9 out of 10 paws.