Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Magic Items is a supplement for Fantasy Hero (1st Edition) that was published by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.). The authors include David Berge, Barry A. Wilson, and Andrew Robinson. Magic Items was released in November of 1987…yeah this sucker is old. 😉

The book has a color cover and an entirely black and white interior. Magic Items is 8.5” x 11” and is 48 pages in length. I am reviewing a print copy that I purchased.

-== What I Like ==-

Magic Items has a lot of very nice ideas. The presented items are for the most part creative and intriguing. Having an intriguing RPG supplement can be a difficult thing to achieve especially for Hero equipment books which can come off as extremely dry. I enjoyed reading the book cover-to-cover.

I liked the length of each magic item listing. Each Magic Items entry consists of a small supporting paragraph and the necessary rule details. The supporting text evokes the story of the item so that it can be worked into a campaign. Often the text also allows GMs to easily conjure up adventure hooks centered around the item.

The layout in Magic Items is not normal for Hero supplements.. The authors tried to save page space by combining common Advantages and Limitations in a top section on each listing. Below the common modifiers are details on each power in the item and any additional modifiers that may apply to the power only. At times this works well but it can make the book difficult to read in my opinion. I actually appreciate this concept of condensing common information and think it could be used to save space in several modern Hero products.

The cover art by Walter Velez is great. I love the central figures and the way that the header text pops. The interior art in Magic Items is by Jason Waltrip and it does not disappoint. It is above average or better in my opinion. 🙂

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

The second introductory section of Magic Items is called Changes To The FH Magic Rules. It contains a set of rule changes that the authors claim should be considered official errata to the Fantasy Hero game book. They then suggest that it will be used in all future supplements. It is a very strange section especially for a simple product supplement about magic items.

Magic Items is short. I would have liked to see more items.

All of items are unique which may seem like strength but it is also nice to have some standard items. A brief section on simple items like healing potions, magical armor, and basic magical swords would be well received.

There is a nice opening section on Items In Your Campaign but short of this Magic Items does not include supporting material on alchemists/potions, item creation, item related creatures, etc. This type of support material is a real strength of current DOJ products.

-== Summary ==-

I can guess what many of you are thinking after reading this review, “Come on John…do you really think it is fair to review a 24 year old supplement as if it were a modern RPG product?!?” My take is simple…I want to rate a product on whether it will be useful to CURRENT gamers. Fair shmair I say! 😀 Saying that I really think Magic Items is a valuable book for Fantasy Hero GMs even with this mediocre rating.

Magic Items is by far easiest to purchase on eBay. Even some of my go to sites for older products (aka Noble Knight Games, etc) don’t list this book. Today when I logged into eBay I could bid on a copy for $0.99 and buy one for $7.95! 😉

I give it 5 out of 10 paws.

-== What is it? ==-

Batman: Under The Red Hood (B:UTRH) is a direct to DVD action adventure movie from DC Universe that was released in 2010. The director is Brandon Vietti and two notable producers include Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett. Voice talent is provided by several well known actors…Bruce Greenwood (Thirteen Days) plays Batman, Jensen Ackles plays Red Hood, John DiMaggio plays the Joker, and Neil Patrick Harris plays Nightwing.

B:UTRH retells the well known comic stories “A Death In The Family” and “Under The Hood”. The movie starts with flashbacks of Jason Todd’s death per “A Death In The Family”. I really consider this the story of the Batman’s greatest loss. From here B:UTRH moves forward to the current day where the focus is on a new figure known only as the Red Hood. The Red Hood is vying for control of the drug trade in Gotham. This puts the Red Hood into direct conflict with Batman and a local gangster known as the Black Mask.

B:UTRH has a good amount of violence but it is not gory. There is a lot of darkness but very little to no adult themes. There is no nudity. The movie is rated “13+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is accurate.

I am reviewing the Two-Disc Special Edition widescreen version of the DVD which I received as a gift. The main movie is 75 minutes long.

-== What I Like ==-

The story in B:UTRH is well done and for the most part sticks to the source stories. This is a good thing as these stories are iconic in many ways. There is one action scene with some hired thugs that feels a bit arbitrary. Based on the name of the movie you can imagine there is a big reveal at the end of the movie and it does not disappoint. The ending of B:UTRH is very strong.

The animation has a nice square jawed feel. Sometimes the shadows in the story seem a bit harsh but overall the animation is above average.

Extras on main B:UTRH disc include sneak peaks for several other movies and a Jonah Hex short. I think the 12 minute Jonah Hex short is EXTRAORDINARY! It was written by western author Joe Landsdale and includes Thomas Lee as Jonah Hex and Linda Hamilton as Madame Lorraine. The story in the Jonah Hex short is just great. It has a brutal ending had me begging for more and I am not even remotely a Jonah Hex fan. The voice acting by Linda Hamilton is particularly good. If I was to rate the short alone I would give it 10 out of 10 paws! 😀

Extras on the second disc are also pretty nice. There is a feature called Robin: The Story Of Dick Grayson, a piece on Robin’s evolution over the years, and two Batman: The Animated Series episodes that feature Robin. Overall these add a lot of value to the Two-Disc Special Edition.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

The voice acting in B:UTRH is fine but not perfect. The problems I had with the voice acting are hard to describe. In places it feels emotionally off and in others it comes off a bit stilted. It feels like the voice direction could be improved.

Another big problem with the movie is the Black Mask character. The Black Mask comes across like a bad filler character. It seems like the writer could have picked a Gotham gangster with a bit more back story or one that is a bit more interesting. Also the simply fact that he is called Black Mask is kinda lame. There is the Red Hood and the Black Mask…what about the Green Cowl? 😛

-== Summary ==-

Overall I thought the Two-Disc Special Edition version of B:UTRH was a fun Batman romp. Don’t expect fantastic animation or perfect voice acting and you won’t be disappointed. Definitely consider purchasing a version that includes the Jonah Hex short. 😉 I give B:UTRH 6 out of 10 paws for the movie alone and 8 out of 10 paws with extras.

B:UTRH is $18.74 at RightStuf at this URL. Amazon has the movie at this URL for $14.99. Those are really great prices for the content. 🙂

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.

Date At Start Of Game: 1/14/207

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 26th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

The Tower

As the session starts the PC are conversing with Cizbakri about Donovan’s Mate and the quest to free his soul. At first the PC discuss whether they should just attack him and try to take the artifact. Several of the PC are hesitant as kirin are supposedly creatures of good. Eventually the PC agree to attempt the mission. Before entering the PC make an agreement with Cizbakri that if they are able to free his soul he will give them not only Donovan’s Mate but also any other treasure they may want to take from the tower. Cizbakri agrees. The PC then ask for the command word for Donovan’s Mate and Cizbakri tells them that he will give them that information when they return. When each PC touches the rod they are swept into a foggy whirlwind…

Inside The Wick

The PC appear in a large octagonal chamber. The walls are white marble and the floor appears to be made of solid aquamarine. On each facing is a doorway that has a different material acting as a curtain. In front of them is a large marble dais. A set of stairs lead to the top of the dais which is covered in a swirling fog. Po uses his Spirit Eyes and detects magic on everything! As the PC search the area they hear Cizbakri’s voice echoing from the fog, “Is someone there? If so I would enjoy speaking with you…this place is very lonely.” The PC enter the fog on the dais and find a room with red silk pillows atop which rests a very evil looking version of the kirin, Cizbakri. His eyes are solid red, his hair is dyed green, and the armor he wears is covered with demonic faces. After some chit chat the PC start asking about how to free his soul. Evil Cizbakri explains that his soul is split into 8 parts. Each part resides in a chamber that can be reached from the octagonal room. All pieces must be returned to restore his soul. If the PC fail Evil Cizbakri guesses that the PC would also become trapped in this realm for all eternity! Knowing that kirin are honor bound the PC ask that when his soul is freed that he go his own way. They also ask for the command word for Donovan’s Mate. Evil Cizbakri has nothing to lose and agrees with the bargain. With the the PC return and start venturing into the various portals.

The Harem

After entering the red silk portal the PC emerge in a desert tent. In front of them are pillows atop which rests a female Bat Kin, Ape Kin, Armadillo Kin, Kangaroo Kin, and Raven Kin. The woman beckon for the PC to spend the night with them. The PC are assaulted with powerful charming magic! Oren is able to narrowly resists but pretends that he is being charmed so that he can get closer and attack. When Oren closes he raises his hammer and slams one of the females. At this time the group changes into succubi and attack with dangerous claws. After some deft swordplay and tactics the PC take down the devil women. When the PC touch a lantern in the room they vanish and are returned to the main octagonal chamber.

The Arena Of Terror

The portal with a brown wicker screen leads to a roman coliseum type arena. The only person in the stands is Evil Cizbakri. He claps his hands and shouts, “May the combat begin!” With that four gates open at the sides of the arena. Two huge wolverines, a griffin, and a large creature that is part boar and part rat (aka a Boarat) emerge. The PC begin the battle by carefully maintaining their position. The Boarat charges in an attempt to run down the center of the group! Oren balls up over Po while Cillian jumps out the way then slashes as the beast passes. When the Boarat hits Oren is bounces off of the Armadillo Kins tough hide. Kanga fires at a wolverine then is grabbed in the leg by the creature. The other wolverine maws Cillian’s hand but is surprised when his hand lights on fire! The Griffin attacks Bilby who stabs viciously at the creature. Oren eventually unballs and takes deadly shots at the Boarat. Po start cursing the creature as well. Eventually the PC are victorious. Evil Cizbakri claps then the PC find themselves in the octagonal chamber.

The Library Of Considerable Wisdom

The brown wool hanging leads to an extremely large library that is in a state of disrepair. Walking the shelves is the ghost of a very old Ape Kin with a long beard. He tells the PC to read their books in quiet. Po starts to search the shelves and finds books on very obscure topics. After some playing around Cillian and Po deduce that they can always immediately find a book on a topic where they have knowledge! Po reads a book carefully then Cillian sees a portal open behind him them quickly close! The portal was open for a second only. With that the PC use their skills to read books, open portals, then escape. The last person in the room is Oren who uses his knowledge of Military Companies to open a portal.

The Pond Of Paradise

After passing the white satin curtain the PC find themselves on the shore of a forest pool. In the center of the pool they can see a glowing white stone. Cillian uses his water breathing power on the party then he and Oren jump into the water. As they approach they are attacked by jets of water. Oren decides to ball up Cillian and try again. This time they are lifted out of the pool by a naked woman made of water! Finally Cillian and Oren decide to tunnel under the stone and grab it. After breaking through Cillian grabs the stone which opens the portal and the PC vanish.

Only four rooms left…

Date At End Of Game: ?/?/???