Goblin! is a solo RPG from Hexy Studio and the first installment in the Misbehave series of solo RPG experiences. I’m going on the adventure of a lifetime as the Goblin Who Will Soon Be Known as Ghost-Tooth. Can Ghost-Tooth triumph, reunite the goblin crown, and lead his people to victory against the tyrannical gnomes?

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Three Days to Kill, the inaugural product in Atlas Games’ Penumbra line of D20/D&D supplements, was one of the best low-level modules I’ve ever read. It was one of those gaming products that make you instantly eager to call up your gaming group, roll up some characters, and get down to some serious roleplaying.

Thieves in the Forest, the second product form Penumbra, is a little less cool – but, nonetheless, a solid product that’s worthy of your consideration.

Warning: From this point forward, this review will contain spoilers for Thieves in the Forest. Players who may end up playing in this module are encouraged to stop reading now. Proceed at your own risk.

The plot of Thieves is painfully simple: The PCs are in the town of Brandon’s Bridge, which is located in a forest. There are thieves in the forest. The PCs need to track down the thieves.

That’s it. There are no twists here. No intrigues to be unraveled. No tricks up this product’s sleeves: Its called Thieves in the Forest, and that’s exactly what you get.

In general there are two reasons I’ll pick up a module: First, I may pick it up because it looks like it has some creative, intriguing ideas – or at least enough spin on some common themes to give me a unique look at something I’m already familiar with. Thieves is not that type of module. Even the slowest among us, I think, can come up with a plot like “hunt down the bad guys in the woods and kill them.”

However, the second reason I’ll pick up a module is wholly utilitarian: I don’t have enough time to do the actual grunt work of writing up an adventure, and I want somebody to do it for me.

This is the level where Thieves in the Forest is operating: John Nephew may not deliver something as clever or exciting as John Tynes’ Three Days to Kill, but he does deliver a well-executed product. With a little over a half dozen consistent and interesting encounter areas (a couple of which have some nice little twists to them), Thieves is full of all the little crunchy bits which we busy GMs don’t have time to put into practice for ourselves.

Thieves in the Forest also helps further Penumbra’s growing reputation for taking that extra little step necessary to take something typical and make it noteworthy: A full-color poster map is included of the thieves’ lair (located in the abandoned temple of a sun god) – an extremely useful tool when it comes to actually running the final assault.

So, if you’re looking for a product which will stir your imagination and set you mind racing with undreamt of possibilities… Thieves in the Forest isn’t for you.

But if you’re looking for a simple, rock solid module to run on Friday night because you’ve been working overtime all week and haven’t had even one spare minute to prepare your adventure notes… then this is precisely what the doctor ordered. Check it out.

Writer: John Nephew
Publisher: Atlas Games (Penumbra)
Price: $8.95
Page Count: 26
ISBN: 1-887801-95-2
Product Code: AG3201

This review was not originally written for RPGNet. It was most likely submitted to Pyramid Magazine. I’m uncertain why it was rejected. It might have been because Steven Marsh, the editor, was being inundated with D20-related reviews and didn’t want them drowning out the rest of the review section (although I think that was mostly a concern that cropped up later). More likely, it’s because another freelancer had already successfully submitted a review of the book. (This was the most common reason for review submissions at Pyramid to get bumped.)

In any case, the rejection happened and so it was easy enough to repurpose the review for RPGNet. As a result, you may notice that the format and length differ a bit from my other RPGNet reviews in this period.

For an explanation of where these reviews came from and why you can no longer find them at RPGNet, click here.

If you’ve been looking for a way to support the Alexandrian without using Patreon — or if you just want your support to be focused on producing more (and better!) Youtube videos — then you should become a Member of the Alexandrian Youtube channel.

I’m launching our membership program today. In addition to loyalty badges, emotes, and Alexandrian Discord+ access, once we have 30 members we’ll begin producing member-exclusive Youtube Shorts. At 100 members, we’ll begin producing full-length members-only videos, starting with the completion of the long-awaited D&D 1974 retrospective series.

Projects like this are, in fact, exactly why I’ve decided to start a Youtube Membership program. There are a lot of cool Youtube projects I want to tackle, but which are prohibitively complicated and expensive. To make them a reality, I need to be able to expand how many hours per month my team can dedicate to Alexandrian videos.

For just $5 a month, you can become an Alexandrite and get all the benefits above. Producers willing to chip in $20 per month will get extra perks, including onscreen credit in the videos and early access to new videos.

JOIN TODAY!

Want to supercharge your D&D combat? Roll initiative last!

Thanks to all my Youtube gaming buddies! Check out their channels for even more awesome RPG and GMing tips:

Baron de Ropp – ‪@DungeonMasterpiece‬

Bob World Builder – ‪@BobWorldBuilder‬

Dave Thaumavore – ‪@DaveThaumavore‬

Seth Skorkowsky – ‪@SSkorkowsky‬

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Next spring I will be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime as the featured GM for RPG IN THE JUNGLE.

RPG in the Jungle is a five-day, 20+ hour tabletop adventure at Citadel Fury, the world’s only hand-sculpted gaming fortress in the heart of Peru. Nestled in this untamed paradise, beneath emerald canopies, I’ll be running a full campaign in the greatest game room on Earth.

This is an all-inclusive, seven-day event including action-packed RPG gaming sessions (run by me!), jungle bungalow accommodations, buffet-style gourmet meals, and incredible activities at the Pueblo Colorado sculpture resort!

Although I’ve run convention games and even featured GMing events in the past, I’ve never done anything like RPG in the Jungle! I’m incredibly excited to go on this adventure with you!

BOOK NOW!