Kingbeast's Lair

Here the winners in gold and silver color. I’ll put my picks in italics.

Best Adventure

Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream Publishing/Pagan Publishing)
Monsters and Other Childish Things: Road Trip (Cubicle 7/Arc Dream Publishing)
Pathfinder Adventure Path #43: The Haunting of Harrowstone (Paizo Publishing)
Perils of the Surface World: Miracle Stone of the Amazon (Exile Game Studio)
Saturday Night Delves #1: Revenge of the Iron Lich (Save Versus Death)
Honorable Mention: The Dance in the Blood (Pelgrane Press/Graham Walmsley)

Best Aid/Accessory

D&D Essentials: Dungeon Tiles Master Set – The Dungeon (Wizards of the Coast)
Eclipse Phase Gamemaster Pack (Posthuman Studios)
Gaming Paper Adventure Maps (Gaming Paper)
Hero Lab (Lone Wolf Development)
The Unspeakable Oath (Arc Dream Publishing)
Honorable Mention: Vornheim: The Complete City Kit (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)

John’s Comments

Bummed that UO did not win…as you read the winners you can see a theme…Pathfinder.

Best Art, Cover

A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide (Green Ronin Publishing)
Eoris Essence (Visions of Essence LLC)
Mutants & Masterminds Hero’s Handbook (Green Ronin Publishing)
Shadowrun: Attitude (Catalyst Game Labs)
The Laundry (Cubicle 7)
Honorable Mention: The Danse Macabre (White Wolf Publishing)

Best Art, Interior

Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Wizards of the Coast)
DC Adventures Hero’s Handbook (Green Ronin Publishing)
Eoris Essence (Visions of Essence LLC)
Legend of the Five Rings, Fourth Edition (Alderac Entertainment Group)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo Publishing)

Best Blog

At-Will
Critical Hits
Gnome Stew
Sarah Darkmagic
Thistle Games

Best Cartography

Bookhounds of London (Pelgrane Press)
Deep Vistas Map Set I – III (Maps of Mastery)
Gaming Paper Adventure Maps (Gaming Paper)
Heavenring Village – Virtual Boxed Set (0One Games)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Poster Map Folio (Paizo Publishing)
Honorable Mention: Shadowrun: Sixth World Almanac (Catalyst Game Labs)

John’s Comments

Glad Bookhounds took this category. Congrats Pelgrane! 🙂

Best Electronic Book

Cerulean Seas Campaign Setting (Alluria Publishing)
Continuity (Posthuman Studios)
Shanghai Vampocalypse (Savage Mojo)
Temporal Probability Agency: To Predict and Serve (Apathy Games)
The Running Death (Terminal Studios)

Best Free Product

A Time of War: The BattleTech RPG Quick-Start Rules (Catalyst Game Labs)
Hell for Leather – Free Edition (Cobweb Games)
Old School Hack – Basic Game (Kirin Robinson)
Saturday Night Delves #1: Revenge of the Iron Lich (Save Versus Death)
The Running Death (Terminal Studios)
Honorable Mention: Ultimate Combat Playtesting PDF (Paizo Publishing)

Best Game

Happy Birthday, Robot! (Evil Hat Productions)
Icons Superpowered Roleplaying (Adamant Entertainment/Cubicle 7)
Legends of Anglerre (Cubicle 7)
Mutants & Masterminds Hero’s Handbook (Green Ronin Publishing)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )
Honorable Mention: The Laundry (Cubicle 7)

John’s Comments

Very cool…Evil Hat really deserves this one. 🙂

Best Miniatures Product

BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed Set (Catalyst Game Labs)
Deep Vistas Map Set I – III (Maps of Mastery)
Mousling Heroes (Reaper Miniatures)
USCR – Commissar (MERCS Miniatures)
WARMACHINE Khador Gun Carriage (Privateer Press)
Honorable Mention: Gaming Paper Adventure Maps (Gaming Paper)

Best Monster/Adversary

Doctor Who: Aliens & Creatures (Cubicle 7)
Fey Folio: Clans of the Fey (Alluria Publishing)
Monster Vault (Wizards of the Coast)
Mythic Menagerie: The Kingdom of Graves (Super Genius Games)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 2 (Paizo Publishing)

Best New Game (published for the first time ever)

A Taste for Murder (Graham Walmsley)
Happy Birthday, Robot! (Evil Hat Productions)
Icons Superpowered Roleplaying (Adamant Entertainment/Cubicle 7)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )
The Laundry (Cubicle 7)
Honorable Mention: Stars Without Number (Sine Nominee Publishing)

Best Podcast

Atomic Array
Chronicles: Pathfinder Podcast
Flagons and Dragons
The Dungeon Master Guys Podcast
Yog-Sothoth
Honorable Mention: Kicked In The DiceBags

Best Production Values

Gatecrashing (Posthuman Studios)
Happy Birthday, Robot! (Evil Hat Productions)
Legend of the Five Rings, Fourth Edition (Alderac Entertainment Group)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 2 (Paizo Publishing)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )

John’s Comments

Bummed that Happy Birthday, Robot! didn’t win anything. I thought this is the award they really deserved. 🙁

Best RPG Related Product

BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed Set (Catalyst Game Labs)
Castle Ravenloft Boardgame (Wizards of the Coast)
Hamlet’s Hit Points (Gamplaywright Press)
Tall Pencil Strap Dragon Chow Dice Bag (Dragon Chow Dice Bags)
The Bones – Us and Our Dice (Gameplaywright Press/Atomic Overmind Press)

Best Rules

D&D Rules Compendium (Wizards of the Coast)
Icons Superpowered Roleplaying (Adamant Entertainment/Cubicle 7)
Legends of Anglerre (Cubicle 7)
Mutants & Masterminds Hero’s Handbook (Green Ronin Publishing)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )
Honorable Mention: D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Setting

A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide (Green Ronin Publishing)
Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Wizards of the Coast)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo Publishing)
Progenitor (Arc Dream Publishing)
Space 1889: Red Sands (Savage Worlds) (Pinnacle Entertainment Group)
Honorable Mention: Bookhounds of London (Pelgrane Press)

Best Supplement

Block by Bloody Block (Print Version) (White Wolf Publishing)
Gatecrashing (Posthuman Studios)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo Publishing)
Shadowrun: Attitude (Catalyst Game Labs)
Space 1889: Red Sands (Savage Worlds) (Pinnacle Entertainment Group)
Honorable Mention: The Danse Macabre (White Wolf Publishing)

John’s Comments

Really surprised that Red Sands took this award. Awesome! 😀

Best Website

d20pfsrd.com
Obsidian Portal
RPG Geek
The Escapist
UK Role Players

John’s Comments

I really thought RPG Geek deserved this one. Ah well.

Best Writing

The Danse Macabre (White Wolf Publishing)
Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream Publishing/Pagan Publishing)
Gatecrashing (Posthuman Studios)
The Dance in the Blood (Pelgrane Press/Graham Walmsley)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )

Product of the Year

A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide (Green Ronin Publishing)
DC Adventures Hero’s Handbook (Green Ronin Publishing)
D&D Gamma World Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast)
Gatecrashing (Posthuman Studios)
Happy Birthday, Robot! (Evil Hat Productions)
Legend of the Five Rings, Fourth Edition (Alderac Entertainment Group)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo Publishing)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo Publishing)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions )
The Stork (DreamPunk Productions)
Honorable Mention:Legends of Anglerre (Cubicle 7)

John’s Comments

My pick took the silver. Congrats Evil Hat! 😀

Date At Start Of Game: 2/6/207

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 29th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Two of the players could not make the last session. Here are events that transpired with those PC during the last session.

Kanga

• While venturing in the city Kanga enters a local establishment called Nestor’s Rest. It is a mid tier tavern that is known as a hang out for those seeking adventure and glory. While buying drinks he meets a flirtatious Ferret Kin barmaid named Risha. After a while he meets a Sheep Kin named Maharain (wheel wright) and an overweight Porcupine Kin named Sagatchi (acupuncturist). The trio have many drinks during the evening.
• As the evening draws to a close a strange Cat Kin woman in a dark hooded purple cloak looks around the bar then heads directly to Kanga’s table. As she peeks down Kanga can see a black and white Cat Kin with one ear chewed off and the other sporting a large gold hoop earring. She is dressed in a dark gray worn wool kimono under the cloak. She whispers to Kanga, “Powerful spirits act as your guide but do not reveal what is in store for you. I can tell you about your future if you so desire.” At this point Kanga agrees and goes outside with her where it is more private. The strange women then pulls out a bag of small sticks which she shakes then dumps on the floor. As she reads the sticks her eyes go up to Kanga. She speaks slowly and carefully, “I sense that you will kill a powerful spirit…one so powerful that it will shake the foundations of our world…[pause]…possibly it could be something cold blooded…AH…a Dragon!” After the reading she sulks off.

Oren

• After stowing his gear Oren is invited to a private dinner with the Empress. After starting the dinner Yotsu surprisingly does not sit down but leaves the room. After a conversation about Oren’s recent adventures and some small talk the Armadillo Kin warrior believes that the Empress might actually be flirting with him. Oren maintains an honorable stance and does not lead her on in any fashion.
• As the dinner closes the Empress confides in Oren about what really happened with the death of the Emperor. She explains that he did not die of old age as was reported. Instead she and Yotsu found him with his throat slit twice in their bedroom. After a brief discussion they decided to obscure the situation by making it appear that he died of old age. Empress Nokidara healed the wounds and Yotsu cleaned up the blood. She then asks Oren if he would please give her and Tokaji their support. Oren agrees.

The Dragon And The Empress

After all of the avatars have gathered at Meiji’s house Po explains that he and Meiji have checked on Cragspine and they fear he will not attend the Dragon Festival. Po explains that Meiji fears the dragon may be in trouble and that when he used the stick it points to the far north where they believe Cragspine has gone. They believe he has gone to a place known as the Vault Of The Dragon Kings. Po also states that Meiji has decided that he is ready to give Cillian the package from Cragspine. With that he hands a scroll tube to Cillian. The scroll tube contains a letter and a magical topaz. Here is the contents of the letter:

To The One Who Currently Uses The Name Cillian,

PS When I get back I will have to speak to Meiji about your name. It is deplorable that you would end up with such a foul moniker.

Cillian and the rest of the PC are shocked to learn that their friend is really a Dragon and the Cragspine is his father! They talk about it for a bit then they prompt Meiji to explain what he knows about Cillian. Here is the story he delivers to the avatars…

• Empress Nokidara came to Meiji in disguise one night many years ago. In her arms was an Ape Kin baby. She explained that she had twins and that this child was not a Tiger Kin and thus must be hidden from the Emperor (i.e. inferring that the Emperor is NOT the father). Empress Nokidara pleaded with Meiji to watch the child. Reluctantly he assented to watch the baby if she would make him the Court Mage. She did not give Meiji a name for the child at the time.
• Almost immediately after receiving the child the Court Mage detected something different about the baby when he ran a Spirit detection spell on an item and noticed that the baby was glowing! He ran detection spells with his magic and discovered that potent blood ran through the child. When he went to approach the Empress with the information he was stopped by Cragspine outside of his cottage. Cragspine explained that the boy is a Dragon Kin and his son. He then explained that Dragon Kin youth are extremely rare and must be guarded. Cragspine pleaded with Meiji begging him not to tell the Empress about his visit or that her son was a Dragon Kin as he did not want to upset her or compromise the security of the child. The Court Mage reluctantly assented but made an agreement with the Dragon to teach him about his race as payment for watching the child. At this point Cragspine gave the Court Mage a way to contact him using the mirror.
• Over the next year Cragspine taught Meiji Dragon Kin speech and the ways of Dragons. Meiji will remarks that he considers Cragspine a friend.
• Several months later Tokaji became dangerous due to the growing conflict that would become known as the Spirit War. Meiji feared for the life of the child as the city was now very dangerous and he was personally being called into action. At this point the Court Mage contacted the Dragon using the mirror and the two decided that until things settled down Cragspine would watch the child. Meiji dressed the child in simple peasant clothes and pinned the note “Cillian” on the child. He then told a trusted city guardsman to deliver the child to an Ape Man (aka Cragspine in his human form) who would meet him off the road to the southwest. To Meiji’s shock the child never made it to Cragspine.
• When Cragspine and Meiji followed the trail of the guardsman they found him dead with two slits across his throat. It was quite horrific. (Bilby will know that this is the calling card of the Rat Gog assassin Vesh who uses two kama in this fashion when he makes his killing stroke.) The Court Mage was devastated by the loss of the baby who he assumed had been killed. When asked by the Empress he only told her that the child was put somewhere safe (i.e. he lied). Meiji told her that the location would be secret so that she could not compromise his security. Though the Empress was upset there was little she could do about the situation.

At this point Oren returns to the palace and wakes Yotsu. He explains that Cragspine will like not show up at the Dragon Festival. Oren then works with Yotsu to devise a speech that explains that Cragspine cannot attend because he is off defending the realm. After making the speech Yotsu directly addresses Oren. He says that Empress Nokidara is the most noble ruler he has even has the privilege to work with and that he will do ANYTHING to make sure that she stays in power. Yotsu closes the conversation by thanking Oren for his support.

The morning of the Dragon Festival before Cragspine’s appearance Oren and Cillian meet with Empress Nokidara. First they explain that Cragspine will not be appearing. With Yotsu they present their speech. In private they then explain that Cillian is her son. After hearing the news The Empress is stunned. Tears begin to well up in her eyes. When she asks to see Daichi (aka the father) the PC explain that that he is really Cragspine the Dragon. After some conversation the Empress explains how things happened to her…

• While Emperor Nokidara was away at war she had a passionate affair with an Ape Kin she knew only as Daichi. He was handsome, brilliant, and wildly funny with a lute. After courting for only a few days in secret the couple consummated their romance. They courted off and on in secret over the next few months.
• When the Empress discovered that she was pregnant she approached Daichi with the news. To her surprise her suitor reacted with a look of shock then told her that he would not become her husband and left her never to be seen again. In a state of shock the Empress made the decision to have the baby in secret. Again to her surprise she had twins! One was a Tiger Kin and one was an Ape Kin. The Empress decided to pass off the Tiger Kin as the son of Emperor Nokidara but what would she do with the Ape Kin? She delivered the Ape Kin baby to Meiji where she begged him to care for the child. She would visit the baby when the occasion presented itself.
• After some time the Court Mage sent the baby away for protection. The Empress begged for Meiji to tell her what he did with the boy but he would not divulge. Meiji only said that it was for her own good and that the child would be well cared for…she should not worry about him.

For a brief few momemts the Empress and Cillian talk alone. There is no way that they can understand the other in such short time. Their simple comments are heartfelt and sincere.

The Dragon Festival

On the morning of the Dragon Festival the city of Tokaji is bustling. Food merchants have setup early and the city is a buzz with excitement. The Royal Gardens have been decked out with ribbons and decorations. At the festival Empress Nokidara addresses the crowd using the speech prepared by Yotsu and Oren. Even though the content of the speech is good her conviction and stance are shaky. The events of the day have taken a lot of her nerves. The people appear to accept the speech but there are definitely murmurs from the crowd.

That afternoon when the festival has died down a bit Oren has another meeting with Yotsu to let him know that they fear a master assassin called Vesh is in the city and that he is up to no good. To Oren’s surprise Yotsu says that he has hired the assassin to try and break into the palace to test its weaknesses. Oren cannot believe that Yotsu would do something so insane as to hire the man who is likely the one who killed the Prince AND Emperor! Yotsu’s action offends Oren’s sense of honor and his desire to protect those he feels that are under his care. He starts remembering the fallen Prince and his loyalty to the Empress. As Oren leaves outraged at Yotsu’s action he vows to crush the Crane Kin under his hammer if anything happens to any of his friends. Yotsu tries to explain that Vesh is just an asset to be used to gain information on the enemy but it falls on deaf ears. The two confidants to the Empress have very different beliefs on how to best serve the crown.

At the end of the session the PC prepare for Bilby’s mission with Vesh…

Date At End Of Game: 2/8/207

-== What is it? ==-

Darker Than Black (DTB) is an adventure drama anime from FUNimation that in some ways reminds me of the Heroes TV show. It was released in April 2007. Tensai Okamura directed, created, and wrote DTB. Tensai Okamura has worked on many well known anime classics including Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Ghost In The Shell.

DTB tells the story of a group of operatives who work for a secret organization known as the Syndicate. The main character is a Contractor with electric powers who is known as Hei. Contractors are super powered beings who appeared ten years ago when a strange territory known as Hell’s Gate materialized in Tokyo. These super powered beings are known as Contractors because they must “pay” for their power with some type of anomaly or strange behavior. For example, Hei eats a LOT. 😛 The other members of Hei’s Syndicate team include the following:

• Yin – A quiet Goth looking Doll who can observe people through water. (Dolls are clairvoyants who came to be with the emergence of Hell’s Gate.)
• Huang – A gruff supervisor for the team. His role in the story is that of a liaison with the Syndicate. Huang is a normal human (i.e. he is not a Contractor or a Doll).
• Mao – A Contractor who has the ability to replace his sentience in animals. He is currently stuck in the form of a black cat. Mao is practical and brings an “everyman” view to the story…okay…maybe “everycat”. 😉

The other important character in the story is the Section Chief Kirihara who is assigned to Contractor related cases.

There is some nudity at the very end of the series but it is not graphic or sexual in nature. There is a good deal of violence in DTB but it is not excessively gratuitous. This is one of the few times that I think the RightStuff.com rating of “17+” is too high. I really think this one should be around “14+”.

I purchased the standard edition version of the DVD boxed set. The version I have includes only minor extras in the form of director/actor commentaries and cast auditions. There are 26 episodes in the run.

-== What I Like ==-

The main characters in DTB are extremely cool. I really enjoyed Section Chief Kirihara. She ended up playing off of several characters in a really enjoyable fashion. I thought the fact that one of her subordinates develops a crush on her is also very well done and quite humorous at times. One my favorite episodes included a good deal of screen time for the Section Chief.

As you can tell from some of the initial text the DTB setting is really intricate. There are Contractors, Dolls, various agencies, this strange Hell’s Gate thing, etc. One interesting bit of background relates to how the stars are linked to individual Contractors. When Hell’s Gate appeared the stars changed! After some research scientists realized that every star is uniquely identified with a single Contractor. If a Contractor dies their star fades away. If a Contractor appears then a new star appears. Several times Section Chief Kirihara visits a friend of hers at a local observatory where this is this strange Gandhi type figure who can interpret the stars and what they mean.

There are a couple of episodes that I wanted to mention for being really great or different. In general the series progresses in sets of two episode stories. This works really well for the most part and produces some very strong two episode arcs.

• Ep 1 And 2 – The Fallen Star Of A Contract – The first two episodes really come off nicely. Often I have issues with the first few episodes of longer series but not here. These eps are cool, sexy, fast, and smart.
• Ep 9 And 10 – The White Dress, Stained With The Girl’s Dreams And Blood – I really enjoyed these episodes which focus on Section Chief Kirihara and a friend of hers, Alice, who happens to be the daughter of a well known mob boss. There is tension, humor, drama, and some GREAT fight scenes. Very nice.
• Ep 21 Through 25 – At this point the series kicks into gear for a final sprint to the finale.

The animation style in DTB is nice but it can feel a bit simplistic at times. The animation was done by studio Bones who did the notable anime Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

Even though several of the two episode arcs are very strong I found the overall feel of DTB to be a bit TOO episodic in nature. At times I felt like yelling at the TV to get back to the main thread.

Unfortunately I think the storytelling in DTB could use some improvement. In my opinion it took at least 10 episodes to really get its feet. Even after what I thought was a FANTASTIC first two episodes the series did not carry it forward until quite some time. I was also not found of the strange ending. The ending really felt like a “cop out” to me. 🙁

-== Summary ==-

DTB is a sexy, fast, and smart anime series with super powered Contractors that are very cool. If you want super powered spy action that reminds one of Heroes look to this series.

Recently FUNimation created a classic pack for DTB. Thus the series is priced at a much lower price point. Nice. You can get a copy at RightStuf.com at this URL for $37.49. Amazon has it for $35.99 at this URL.

I give it 7 out of 10 paws.