A solid supplement for the Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game. Dungeons & Dragons GMs may also want to check this one out.

Review Originally Published December 28th, 2000

Usagi Yojimbo: Monsters! is, obviously, the monsters supplement for the Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game – adapting fourteen supernatural creatures from the Usagi comic book for use.

Although there are only fourteen creatures in this slim little pamphlet (making the total cost only slightly less than a buck a monster), the value is here: Each monster receives a two to three page write-up, including behavior, special powers, a summary of their appearances in Usagi comics, and an adventure seed. Although the adventure seeds are often simplistic, and occasionally nothing more than fodder for a single encounter (rather than a full-fledged adventure), this is still rather nice.

The other thing I like about this product is the opening introduction – which gives the background on Japanese monsters and how this is interpreted in the Usagi universe (providing a consistent, underlying mythos to the rest of the material).

There are three really annoying things about this product:

Annoying Thing #1: A half dozen pages are taken up by a completely random section of rules which should’ve been included in the core rulebook. We know they should’ve been included in the core rulebook for two reasons: First, whenever you get a random selection of miscellaneous rules in the very first supplement released for a game, you know that those pages were cut from the main rulebook. Second, one of the things included in this book is the Goat species – which was actually used in the core rulebook to describe an NPC. Whoops.

Annoying Thing #2: Conversion notes are included for FUDGE and D20. That isn’t the annoying thing (I’ll discuss these a more in a second), though. The annoying thing is this: Stats are included in these conversions for the kitsune. Unfortunately, the kitsune is not one of the monsters included in this product – we are informed that the kitsune was a special promotional monster which was published in an unnamed magazine. The kitsune should’ve been in this book. The fact it isn’t, is annoying.

Annoying Thing #3: The book was obviously rushed through the editorial process – typos and grammatical errors abound. The most egregious one I found was this: “Sutras can be written to render a person invisible to spirits and supernatural monsters or they can be written to render the object or person invisible to them.” Since that’s a rule, I’m more than a little annoyed. Very sloppy.

Back to the conversion notes: These are actually very nice, transforming what would otherwise be a fairly narrow supplement into a broadly useful one. I heartily recommend that D&D GMs, in particular, pick this book up: The monsters are well done and come with a lot of support, and should add some nice spice to your campaign.

Usagi Yojimbo GMs would, I think, be remiss in giving this product a pass. The price is a little steep, but the material is fairly solid solid.

Style: 3
Substance: 3

Grade: B

Title: Usagi Yojimbo: Monsters!
Authors: Jared Smith
Company: Gold Rush Games
Line: Usagi Yojimbo
Price: $12.00
ISBN: 1-890305-09-X
Production Code: U101
Pages: 48

I’ve always been disappointed in this review. I didn’t do a good enough job explaining WHY I liked the stuff that I liked about it, which creates a lopsided and overly negative impression. I can’t properly fix that at the moment because it’s been 20+ years since I used this book, but I will say that I was sincere when I recommended it. It’s a slim volume, but filled with meaty, useful material.

Is it weird that this one review still bugs me even after all these years? I don’t think so. Creators grow from their mistakes. This was a miss, but one that serves as a touchstone that has made the reviews I’ve written since better.

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

An excellent adaptation of its source material which, unfortunately, doesn’t offer much to anyone who isn’t already a fan of the comic book.

Review Originally Published December 28th, 2000

Usagi Yojimbo is a truly excellent comic book created by Stan Sakai. The title character is an anthropomorphized version of the historical Miyamoto Musashi. In other words: Usagi Yojimbo is a humanoid rabbit whose fictional exploits draw a sizable portion of their inspiration from the life of a 17th century Japanese samurai.

The Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game, authored by Greg Stolze (a game designer whose past credits – including Unknown Armies – speak for themselves), is an adaptation of Usagi’s world for all of us gaming fanatics.

SYSTEM

The system used for Usagi Yojimbo is a modified version of the generic Fuzion engine – also used in Sengoku (also published by Gold Rush Games), Bubblegum Crisis, Armored Trooper Votoms, and Champions: New Millennium (among others). You can learn more about the basic Fuzion system from the Fuzion Labs website.

There are two significant changes to the basic system in Usagi, both of which are carried out very nicely:

First, the character creation process has been boiled down to a simple, three step process – with each step modifying a set of basic attributes and skills which are given to each character:

1. Pick a Species (bat, cat, rabbit, mole, etc. – anthropomorphic, remember?).

2. Pick a Job (bounty hunter, bodyguard, gambler, retainer, etc.).

3. Divide 10 extra points among skills in order to customize your character.

This Job/Species system could easily be mistaken for a traditional, D&D-style Class/Race system – but you shouldn’t do that. The system in Usagi is not a class system, but rather an archetype system. Unlike the rigid definitions of a class system, an archetype system is loose and open: The goal of a class system is to protect the niche of each character (a wizard has a very different role than a fighter); whereas the goal of an archetype system is nothing more than to simplify the character creation process. Instead of figuring out which skills you need to be an effective messenger, the system designer has done the work for you.

The other major modification to the system is in the combat mechanics. Stolze has designed an elegant combat system designed to convey the feel and spirit of a samurai duel.

As in almost any other combat game you care to name, initiative determines who goes first. This person chooses a target. At this point, though, something a little different happens – because in Usagi Yojimbo it is not just the attacker, but also the defender, who gets to take an action.

It works like this: Both combatants secretly choose one of three strategies – Total Attack, Cautious Attack, or Total Defense. Both combatants then reveal their choice of strategy simultaneously (Stolze suggests using standard playing cards to do this effectively). Now, depending on which strategies were chosen, combat can go one of several ways. For example, if both combatants chose Total Attack, then they both roll their combat roles (Combat + Weapon Skill + roll of dice), but whoever succeeds does double the normal damage.

The only restriction to this is that the person who initiated the attack cannot choose Total Defense as a strategy (since that would mean they weren’t initiating the attack). Other than that, both attacker and defender behave identically – a rather radical change from the normal methodology in combat system design (in which the roles of attacker and defender are very distinct), which provides a unique – and highly worthwhile – dynamic to the system.

There are a few more twists to it, including an optional system for handling unarmed combat which is similarly unique in its approach, but that’s the core of it.

In practice this process really shines – giving a feel to the mechanics which does a very nice job of mirroring the feel of samurai duels in fiction (including, of course, Usagi Yojimbo).

STRENGTHS

The primary strength of Usagi has already been discussed at length: Stolze has adapted the Fuzion engine to give the game an extremely simple, yet also extremely attractive, system. Both character creation and combat are not only dynamic systems, but simple ones. Excellent stuff all around.

A couple of other things are worth mentioning, though: First, a one page system reference chart is included. I love these things, and wish more games had them. This one, in particular, is extremely effective – summarizing every last element of the game system. Far too often you’ll get “reference charts” – usually on GM screens – which reference every knick-knack in the game except the rules you actually use on a regular basis. Usagi avoids this nicely.

Second, the book contains a number of appendices – which, as a general rule, contain extremely useful information: A timeline for the Usagi universe; a character index for the comic; one of the best “gamer’s glossaries” for Japanese I’ve seen (largely helped, no doubt, by the fact it’s based in the Japanese which occasionally crops up in the Usagi comic; and, finally, a FUDGE conversion for the game system.

Finally, the book is rounded out by a short Usagi story by Stan Sakai, “Hebi”. Nice stuff.

WEAKNESSES

Unfortunately, there are two major flaws with the Usagi Yojimbo game – and they both take their toll on what would otherwise be an exceptional game.

First, the layout leaves much to be desired. Although the book’s illustrations are helped greatly in quality by the fact they are drawn from the Usagi comic book, they also come complete with word balloons. The effect, along with some other questionable lay-out choices, give the entire book a cluttered, inaccessible feel – which is, at the same time, scattered in its focus. One of the worst moments of this layout comes in a chart which lays out the major samurai clans in Usagi’s world – which, unfortunately, looks like it was designed to be a butterfly ballot in Florida.

Second, and far more troubling, is the fundamental lack of world reference material to be found in the book. It is essentially constrained to a timeline (which is not generally useful in any sense of the word) and a chapter discussing the major characters which have appeared in the Usagi comic (which is further flawed in that it doesn’t provide coverage of several usual suspects). The GM is basically left on their own when it comes to filling in the actual gaming environment of ancient Japan.

CONCLUSION

The Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game is an excellent adaptation of its source material. Unfortunately, its varied weaknesses mean that it isn’t going to do anything for anyone who isn’t already a fan of the source material. The lack of any serious world reference material is particularly distressing – particularly when contrasted against the wealth of what would be essentially identical material in Gold Rush’s Sengoku game.

In short: Fans of Usagi Yojimbo might want to flip through this one to see if it offers them anything of interest. Anybody else should definitely give it a pass.

Actually, let me modify that conclusion in one way: System nuts might want to check this one out just to take a look at the combat system which Stolze has set up. The strategy system – which gives the system a true claim to fame – is almost a cap-system: It would be easy to pop it off of Fuzion and onto any standard combat system in the industry. If you’re tired of just rolling dice during combat, this might be worth your time.

Style: 4
Substance: 3

Grade: B

Title: Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game
Authors: Greg Stolze
Company: Gold Rush Games
Line: Usagi Yojimbo
Price: $16.00
ISBN: 1-890305-02-2
Production Code: U100
Pages: 96

Originally Posted: 2000/12/28

I’m old enough that when someone says “furry” what I think of is stuff like Usagi Yojimbo and Cerebus. It’s interesting how a fetish-driven fanbase has really driven the whole anthropomorphic genre into a niche of a niche.

Conversely, it’s remarkable the degree to which D&D 3rd Edition rehabilitated the whole concept of class-based RPGs. Used to be everyone who left D&D to play other RPGs would collectively sigh with relief at never needing to play a class-based system with all of its silly limitations again. Now classes clearly rule the roost.

Review: Usagi Yojimbo – Monsters!

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

An epic adventure anthology which takes some big chances. Extremely impressive. Easily adaptable for a variety of games (D&D, Legend of the 5 Rings, Usagi Yojimbo).

Review Originally Published December 25th, 2000

I was immediately drawn to Shiki for one simple reason: It dares to be epic.

Many generic adventures share a simple problem: They confuse “accessible” with “boring”. They don’t do so in so many words, of course (no one sets out to write a boring adventure, after all) – but they commit an easily understandable mistake: In an effort to make it possible for the GM to slide the adventure into any given campaign structure, they fail to invest the adventure with any stakes that make it important and meaningful for the player characters.

“A man walks up to you in a bar…”

“You hear rumors of a lost city in the desert…”

“The local lord has heard of your feats and has summoned you before him…”

“You are walking through the woods when you suddenly hear screams…”

What do these all have in common? They are adventure hooks which anyone can use… and no one will give a damn about.

To be an epic adventure means you have to put some real stakes up for grabs. And to pull that off without rendering the adventure inaccessible is a real challenge – a challenge which Shiki accepts and accomplishes.

Shiki consists of four adventures: “Heavier Than a Mountain”, “Shinobi”, “Kori No Namida”, and “Debt of Honor”. Shiki can be inserted into an existing campaign. Shiki can be the basis for starting a new campaign. Shiki can be a whole campaign unto itself. Shiki’s individual adventures can even be split up and played individually or selectively. And all of these options is given support from the author and throughout the text.

PLOT

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for Shiki. Players who may end up playing in this module are encouraged to stop reading now. Proceed at your own risk.

As I’ve already noted, Shiki is anthology of four adventures. These four adventures are arranged chronologically across almost twenty years, thematically by the four seasons, and in plot by the life of Kozo.

Heavier Than a Mountain. In the first adventure it is fall, and the PCs are serving as attendants to Lord Tadano Morihisa and his family in the Suruga province. Lord Tadano’s lands have come under attack by his eastern neighbor – Lord Izu – and things have gone poorly. As the adventure progresses, the PCs find themselves in Lord Tadano’s fortress as it falls – charged to escape with Kozo, the Lord’s heir, and see him safely to Shinano province and Lord Hosokawa’s fief. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, is that Lord Izu’s assault has been aided by the sorceror In’yu. When Izu discovers that Kozo has escaped, he charges In’yu to lay a curse upon the young boy – wherever he may be. This is done, and as Kozo ages this curse will plague both him and the land of his family.

Shinobi. One or two years have passed, and it is now the spring. The PCs find themselves deeply enmeshed in the politics surrounding Lord Hosokawa’s court. They are charged by their lord with protecting Lady Shinobi on a diplomatic mission attempting to convince one of Hosokawa’s neighbors – Lord Onoue — to ally with him against Izu. What the PCs don’t know is that Shinobi is secretly working as a spy, attempting to uncover the treachery of Onoue’s son (who plans to murder his father and pledge his loyalty to Izu).

Kori no Namida. (Tears of Ice) Ten years have passed, and in the dead of winter, Kozo’s curse begins to affect him deeply. The PCs are dispatched to Mt. Fuji in an attempt to capture the tear of ghost, the only cure which Hosokawa’s mystics can ascertain. If they fail, the curse will continue to affect Kozo as time passes. Even if they succeed, however, the scars of the curse will remain Kozo’s soul – hidden deep within his heart.

Debt of Honor. Eighteen years have passed since the PCs saved Kozo’s life, and the time has finally come to return Kozo to his rightful place. Although Kozo’s goals are just, his years of living under the curse have warped his soul. Through the course of an epic campaign, the PCs must work to keep the dark blot on Kozo’s soul from exterminating them all. Of course, everything ends in an epic conclusion.

(It should be noted that the war in the final adventure is handled through an innovative and highly effective roleplaying-based battle resolution system. If you’re looking to include a major war in a campaign – and want to keep the focus on roleplaying, not wargaming – then Shiki might be worth picking up just to take a look at the handful of pages which describe and implement this system . It can be easily adapted to any RPG system without blinking an eye.

WEAKNESSES

While Shiki deserves to have praise heaped upon it, there are a few key flaws which you should keep in mind as you prepare to use these adventures:

First, the boxed text which is presented is stilted and artificial. It neither functions organically, nor does justice to the quality of adventure design which surrounds it. Steer clear.

Second, throughout the text there is a design choice which seems to emphasize the use of dice rolling as a surrogate to actual roleplaying. This is relatively easy to ignore, and its nice to see the support there for those who want to use it, but I would have preferred the emphasis to be placed differently.

Finally, and far more troubling, are some key narrative problems within the core structure of Shiki: First, the “Shinobi” adventure, as written, doesn’t have much of a connection to the Kozo narrative. Something as simple as opening the adventure with an assassination attempt on Kozo (several have been attempted in the year since the previous adventure anyway, according to the adventure background), while perhaps increasing the level of direct political involvement on the part of the PCs, would serve to keep the adventure more firmly connected.

Second, the third adventure has a fair number of illogical plot jumps that need some serious work (its the classic case of the players needing to read the author’s mind in order to figure out that they need to go A, B, and C).

ONE LAST STRENGTH: ADAPTABILITY

One last strength of Shiki should be mentioned: I found it to be extremely adaptable to other game settings and systems, and the quality of material to be found within easily justifies the effort you might need to take. Conversion notes are provided in the book for Gold Rush Game’s Usagi Yojimbo, but players of Legends of the Five Rings, Bushido, or any other historical eastern game would find Shiki a worthwhile purchase.

I also consider Shiki to be highly adaptable to a couple of other unusual suspects: First, Dungeons & Dragons — not just oriental fantasy settings, but (with some serious – but still worthwhile – revision) the traditional venues as well. Second, Empire of the Petal Throne (with a good deal less work). The material is strong enough, and supported enough, to make these efforts worthwhile, in my opinion.

CONCLUSION

Epic adventure. Usable by just about anybody. Well done. Well supported. Excellent stuff.

What more do I need to say?

Style: 4
Substance: 4

Grade: B+

Title: Sengoku: Shiki
Author: Michael Montesa
Company: Gold Rush Games
Line: Sengoku
Price: $16.00
ISBN: 1-890305-19-7
Production Code: S103
Pages: 96

Originally Posted: 2000/12/25

Although I haven’t revisited it since writing this review, Michael Montesa’s Shiki remains one of my favorite modules and doing a proper run of it remains on my bucket list.

One of the reasons I didn’t run it back in the day is because I never got Sengoku to the table. I thought I’d bring it to my gaming group of the time after we finished the D&D campaign I was running for them, but the group broke up before that could happen. (This is also why I never ended up writing a review of the Sengoku game itself; I’d been waiting until I’d actually played it.)

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

Atlas Games’ Penumbra line of D20 products continues to lead the field in D&D supplements.

Review Originally Published December 15th, 2000

There are two primary functions that a review serves: First, it lets people know about a product they might otherwise have been unaware of. Second, it tells them enough about it to let them know whether or not its a product they should buy.

The Black Amulet is a free promo offering for Atlas Games’ Penumbra line of D20 support products (which, as pretty much everyone reading this probably already knows, means that they’re compatible with the third edition of D&D). It’s a single magic item described in two pages – so why am I bothering to review something it’s going to take you less than five minutes to read for yourself?

Just to give you a quick head’s up that it exists.

The amulet is a unique magic item, which possesses a couple of unique twists to confound the unwitting players you let have it. In addition to the basic routine of stats and a description of its powers, Nephew has also taken the time to include a detailed history for the item – not only giving some depth to what would otherwise be yet another magical knick-knack, but also unleashing some good adventure seeds and roleplaying fodder.

That makes the Black Amulet yet another Penumbra product that takes the extra step necessary to take something typical and make it something noteworthy. This consistent ability to give you more than you bargained for, coupled with strong production values and an extremely competitive price point, helps Penumbra – in my estimation – lead the field when it comes to D&D supplements. The only company who’s even coming close at this point is Wizards of the Coast itself.

You can check The Black Amulet out (and keep an eye out for future promo material) here.

Title: The Black Amulet
Authors: John Nephew
Company: Atlas Games
Line: Penumbra
Price: Free!
Pages: 2

Style: 5
Substance: 4

Originally Posted: 2000/12/15

If I recall correctly, part of my motivation for reviewing free PDFs like The Wizard’s Amulet and The Black Amulet was because I was a poor college kid, and so just literally affording new RPG books to review was tough. I was trying to use my newfound reputation as a reviewer to get review copies, but I never really got those to flow at a rate that would support my ravenous desire for both reading RPG books and reviewing them.

John Nephew at Atlas Games, it should be noted, has always been a savvy fellow: Produce third party D&D supplements using the OGL? He was one of the few who saw the opportunity. Using free PDFs to promote your third party D&D supplements? Smart. Let’s do that, too. I also remember reading a post he made on RPGNet that broke down the reality that RPG publishers need to swap from softcover books to hardcover if they wanted to stay profitable. Atlas made the leap immediately; the rest of the industry followed.

It also says something about Atlas Games and its values that the link for downloading The Black Amulet has never changed.

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

Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel. Although not a full product in and of itself, The Wizard’s Amulet (W0) provides an excellent preview of what Necromancer Games is bringing to the table with their D20/D&D releases.

Review Originally Published November 15th, 2000

“Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel.”

That’s the tagline that Necromancer Games is using for their line of D&D supplements (developed under the Open Gaming License), and it highlights one of the real strengths of the open gaming philosophy that Ryan Dancey (one of the VPs at WotC) has been championing over the past few months: If you feel there is a segment of the roleplaying fan base which is not having its needs addressed by the current roleplaying industry, there’s no need to go out and publish your own game to remedy the situation.

For example, if what you think is missing in the gaming marketplace are modules that feel and play like those produced for the first edition of AD&D, then publishing an entire roleplaying game so that you have something to supplement is entirely superfluous. And a licensing deal still, ultimately, leaves it up to someone else to determine what is and is not seen on the market.

The Wizard’s Amulet is was a free sample available from the Necromancer Games website.

THE PLOT

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for The Wizard’s Amulet. Players who may end up playing in this module are encouraged to stop reading now. Proceed at your own risk.

Lest there be any confusion, The Wizard’s Amulet is clearly designed to function as a prequel to Necromancer Games’ first series of modules. Taken by itself it feels bit like putting cream cheese on your bagel – it’s an accomplishment, but you haven’t actually eaten anything yet.

Basically the plot plays out like this: Corian, a sorceror fresh out of his apprenticeship, has stumbled across an amulet which once belonged to the wizard Eralion. Corian believes that Eralion attempted to become a lich and failed – and that his keep, to which the amulet will grant access, stands unguarded. So Corian gathers together a group of adventurers (the PCs) to go the keep and unlock its secrets and magical wonders.

Things become complicated, however, because Corian’s fellow student – Vortigern – wants the amulet (and Eralion’s secrets) for himself. Vortigern sets out after the PCs, along with his demonic familiar and a couple of hired thugs.

The Wizard’s Amulet comes to an end after a short, and somewhat indecisive, conflict with Vortigern. It is then directly continued in the first commercial adventure available from Necromancer Games, The Crucible of Freya.

HIGH POINTS & LOW POINTS

I think The Wizard’s Amulet is something D&D players should take a look at. Not so much because its actually playable in and of itself (because it really isn’t), but because it is a good sample of what Necromancer Games is capable of putting out. A number of good features are to be found here:

First, the module aims to introduce new players to roleplaying – and it does this very well. A clear-cut act/scene structure provides the same simplicity as an event-by-location guide, but with a greater emphasis on the narrative. Each scene is carefully handled and presented in a way which makes it easy for newbie DMs to use it with newbie players – good advice, combined with lots of options, makes the whole thing very accessible.

Second, they do a nice job of handling challenge options – addressing not only how two encounters which are identical in terms of challenge can be harder or easier to run during gameplay, but also addressing how to adjust endgame encounters based on the current status of the PCs. This is something which the structure of 3rd Edition makes very easy to do, and the authors have taken advantage of it.

Finally, the overall lay-out of the module is utilitarian without being ugly – a package which is not only pretty, but usable.

I would’ve liked to see a standard Challenge Rating/Encounter Level summary, though. Taking us through the steps for each encounter is fine, but it would have been even easier to modify the adventure if they had given us a clearer peek behind the curtain. I also think The Wizard’s Amulet would have better fulfilled its purpose (as a promo for the game line) if it had actually been a complete adventure (instead of an unfinished prequel) – it could have still led directly into the published adventure, but I would have liked to have seen a fully developed plot here, with a distinct beginning, middle, and end.

All that being said, I do think that you should take a look at this. It’s a solid package.

Style: 4
Substance: 3

Grade: B

Authors: Clark Peterson and Bill Webb
Company: Necromancer Games
Line: D20
Price: Free!
Page Count: 21
ISBN: n/a
Production Code: NCG1000

Originally Posted: 2000/11/15

From a quarter century later, it can be a little difficult to grok just how exciting and novel and strange the fall of 2000 was. The OGL was transforming D&D, the RPG industry, and our gaming tables in ways that were as clearly monumental as they were also uncertain. With Three Days to Kill, Death in Freeport, and the Creature Collection leading the way, by November, when I wrote this review, it was clear a gold rush was under way.

Less noticed at the time was that PDF e-books were ALSO beginning to transform the industry. It started in the mid-’90, when the internet and faster download speeds allowed every GM with a home system to share it online. (By 2000, I had likely downloaded literally hundreds of these.) The idea of “real” RPG publishers releasing books in the format was novel enough that The Wizard’s Amulet actually prompted a lot of discussion upon its release. Would we see more publishers release e-book adventures as free samples or promos? (Yes. And, of course, much more than that.)

Now, of course, every GM with a home system uploads it on DriveThruRPG, e-book releases vastly outnumber physical releases, and PDFs have even down yeoman’s work in unlocking the once out of print and inaccessible history of RPGs. This review is a little peek back at the cusp of a new world.

The Wizard’s Amulet, Crucible of Freya, and The Tomb of Abysthor are currently available in The Lost Lands: Stoneheart Valley, a collection published by Frog God Games.

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