The first chapter of the PDF discusses race in Freeport.  In addition to the standard races, there is a gnome variant and the azhar, a race descended from the efreet.  The azhar may best be described as proud and loud, but they are also loyal, if not terribly far-sighted.  The azhar are much like the fire genasi from my D&D 3.0 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, in fact.  I like the PFRPG azhar somewhat better than the Savage Worlds azhar, and they seem to fit well with the tone of the setting.

The second chapter of the Pathfinder Freeport Companion is about classes in Freeport.  The writers went to great lengths to offer some customized classes especially fitted to adventures in Freeport.  This is one section that I think is better done in the Savage Worlds edition, since the book offers archetypes, rather than statted-out classes.  I don’t have any real objection to the new classes (in fact, I love new classes), but for the most part they feel like slightly reskinned base classes.

Despite the fact that most of the new classes feel somewhat superfluous, each does have at least one unique class ability that makes it worth considering.  The assassin, for example, has been done many times for many different campaign settings.  The Freeport Companion‘s assassin is done better than most, and I especially enjoy the system for handling assassinations away from the table.  The would-be assassin can make a roll to determine the success or failure of his assassination attempt when such an action would distract from the overall narrative or is a regular part of every session.  Some outcomes result in success and an improved reputation, while others involve failure and even death.

My final word on classes is that if I were going to use new classes, the first place I’d look would be the Genius Guides.  The ever-popular shadow assassin in particular would be well suited to life in Freeport.

Chapter three covers additional rules, like skills and feats, in Freeport.  The skills require little adaption, but the few changes made are well-placed.  There are also some new languages, which always add fun and depth to a game (says the psycholinguist).  The feats are, for the most part, excellent.  With so many new options it would be hard to get them perfect every time, but the writers of this particular game get pretty close.  It’s all about flavor, my friends.

Adventuring is a nasty business, and it often involves brushes with Things Man Was Not Mean To Know.  As such, I’m glad that the writers included an insanity mechanic in the Freeport Companion.  There are even tables of symptoms that you can choose from or roll on to create fun and nutty PCs and NPCs.  You could also use Scott Gable’s insanity mechanic from issue 11 of Kobold Quarterly, but I think the Freeport Companion will work just fine.

The equipment section of the book is another fine addition to the Freeport Companion.  The firearms are done well, and I especially love the bit on drug addictions.  Once again, adventuring is a nasty business and all kinds of peril to life and limb can result. The drugs and poisons offered here will give depth to pretty much any character, though I caution against relying on narrative crutches.  When used well, these items will cause – ooh, butterflies!

The spells and magic items of Freeport are equally important.  There are few new spells, but the hoard of magic items on offer just make my mouth water.  The Reaverbane will make any corsair or privateer tremble with fear, while Ring of the Boar will turn even the most lily-livered tripe into a fine fighting specimen!

The rest of the book is filled with prestige classes, sample NPCs, specific NPCs, a bestiary, and an adventure to start you off in Freeport.  The prestige classes fight the general context well without being too specific.  You could drop them in just about any nautical fantasy setting or region and it would work just fine.  The NPCs and creatures of the bestiary are similar.  These are resources that can be used in almost any campaign, but when brought together they make Freeport pop right off the page.

The introductory adventure, Fury in Freeport, is a great way to get started with your new Pathfinder campaign.  It’s a good introduction to the people and places of Freeport, though it’s by no means comprehensive.  That brings me to my one quibble with this book.  In order to get the full benefit, you have to have the core book.  While that’s not a huge hardship, it seems silly to require two books to get things going.  It does have the advantage of allowing the core setting to remain system neutral, though, so I won’t complain too much.

On the whole, an excellent production from Green Ronin.  If you’re thinking about running an Eberron game in the Lhazar Principalities or just want to try Freeport, you can’t go wrong with the Pathfinder Freeport Companion (affiliate link).  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.  I would dock a few tenths of a star for a couple of minor issues noted above, but in general I recommend this book for purchase!  Green Ronin also has a nice print/PDF deal, so I recommend taking advantage of that.

This PDF was provided as a free review copy by the publisher through the DriveThruRpg affiliate system.

The second version of this PDF is really quite impressive.  I liked the first one just fine, but there was clearly more time spent on layout and design on take two.  I don’t entirely agree with some of the typographic choices made, but my complaints are more aesthetic than practical.  The text is very readable, and the illustrations are wonderful for helping to set the tone.  One definite improvement over the last version is the size of the text.  Just a few points make a world of difference for readability.

The basic rules have not changed considerably from the first version of WR&M.  They are, however, somewhat easier to understand.  The abilities system is simple and easy to get started with, and it’s flexible enough that you can dream up a hundred variations for a single set of abilities.  The skills and talents give you mechanics correlates for your inspirations, including options like Channeller and Herbalism.

One big change from the first edition of the WR&M rules is that non-human races are available as player options.  Personally, I enjoy playing in an all-human world from time to time (insofar as the heroes go), since it breaks the stand-bys of fantasy storytelling, but it’s really a matter of personal taste.  It’s certainly nice to have the option, and the non-human races are set in Appendix 2: Optional Rules.  The original world that Michael sketched out remains intact, and it continues to be an excellent sandbox for fantasy roleplaying.

Mounted or vehicular combat and ritual magic get equal attention in the appendix.  Ritual magic is something that I’ve always felt was lacking in traditional D&D.  It’s easy to throw in a dark (or light) ritual as a plot device, but it rarely goes farther than that.  I don’t think WR&M explores the idea quite as far as I’d like, but it errs on the side of keeping things simple, and that’s something I can get behind.

The third appendix contains a bestiary, which is a boon to busy GMs everywhere.  NPCs and monsters alike are included with everything needed to run them except a little imagination.  On a similar note, at least one fan supplement has already been published – From the Imperial Forges.  It’s an excellent collection of items that fit with the included setting and can be dropped into any WR&M game.  One of my measures of success for any given game is whether the fans produce their own material and share it.  The fan material on DriveThruRpg is only a good sign.

At the astonishing price of $0, you can’t afford not to pick up both WR&M and From the Imperial Forges.  WR&M makes a great game for experienced and new roleplayers alike, and there is something attractive about the DIY nature of the game.  It’s certainly a polished product, but it still feels like something a bunch of friends cooked up together.  I can’t give a much higher recommendation than that.

Major want.  im on ur head, eatin ur brainz

So, yeah.  Go listen to Scott McCloud’s TED talk, and then go read his books.  See if you don’t learn something.

I do hope this finds you all in the best of health.  I am somewhat uncomfortable at present, since I am to take the Graduate Record Examination tomorrow morning at 8:00 A.M. at the University of Delaware.  You may or may not be aware of what the GRE is, but it’s really unimportant exactly what the test is.  What is important is that it’s a test, and I am going to take it.

Upon the completion of the test, I intend to resume blogging forthwith.  I have been looking over some products from OtherWorld Creations this week, as well as the Obsidian Twilight setting for the Pathfinder RPG and the latest version of Warrior, Rogue & Mage.  I have plenty of thoughts to share, and I’m hoping to throw out a bit of original content.  All reviews and no self expression make Will a dull boy.  Or something.

The Lamy Safari and my Field Notes

In other news, I fancy myself a fountain pen enthusiast these days.  I started out by trying the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen from my school’s bookstore and, just today, acquired a Lamy Safari (in charcoal).  I’ve already begun to write with it, and it shall certain serve as a fine daily writing instrument.  I hope to sample some of the other Lamy nibs, since I am using an Extra Fine that feels a tad dry, and I would eventually like to try out some heavier and more expensive pens (the Lamy 2000 and Parker 45 come to mind).

I have been most gratified to discover the fine online community for pen and stationery enthusiasts.  The Fountain Pen Network and a number of bloggers have all proved to be quite welcoming and helpful.

Later, I shall attempt to photograph and then post my comic, TIME.  The four page comic was drawn on paper slightly larger than 8.5″ x 11″, and as such it has proved difficult to photocopy.  And speaking of photographs, you should be sure to check out my Posterous for my daily update to Project 365.

Sincerely yours etc.,
Will

Used with permission.

Harsk is my first playtest character of OtherWorld Creations’ Genius Guide to the Armiger.  You can read my review here.  Harsk debuted in the finale of my summer Pathfinder game with great success.  He was a crowd pleaser for both his gruff but loyal manner and his success at fending off an oytugh.  I look forward to making an armiger character when I next get to play in a Pathfinder game.

Male Dwarf
Armiger 2

STR 16 +3
DEX 13 +1
CON 17 +3
INT 10 +0
WIS 13 +1
CHA10 +0

AC 17
HD 2; HP 24
BAB +1
FORT +6, REF +1, WILL +3

ATTACKS
Long spear +4 (1d8+3)

SKILLS
Appraise +5
Knowledge (local) +5
Perception +6
Sense Motive +6

FEATS
Improved Shield Bash

ABILITIES
Bulwark (soft cover to adjacent allies)
Citadel (hard cover, grant 1d8+1 temporary hit points 4/day)

GEAR
Serrated shield
Chain shirt
Long spear

Harsk is a veteran-turned-bodyguard.  He guards individuals and caravans alike.  He uses no surname and appears to be a complete nomad.  He’s gruff and often looking for a fight, but can make a loyal friend.  He takes risks to the point of being suicidal.

Harsk keeps enemies at bay with his long spear, then whacks them with his shield if they close.  He also used a repeating crossbow during his days as an enlisted man but doesn’t usually carry it around.  Unlike most dwarves, he is clean-shaven owing to an incident with a beard and a sharpened shield…

We estimated that we spent about 20 hours of game time playing over the course of the summer.  The group sometimes grew as large as six and sometimes as small as four.  And plenty of time was spent talking about the latest developments in Doctor Who Series 5.

The campaign covered the exploits of our brave adventurers as they met the local government, were deputized in the defense of the city, traveled to a world of dreams through the Market of Dreams, and ultimately vanquished an oytugh and two warring clans of cultists.  Not bad for three character levels.

In the final session, the party fought a pitched battle against the two cults of Dagon and Azathoth in what one player termed “the toilet of the city.”  The cults were also fighting each other (evil doesn’t always get along, after all), and the adventurers managed to escape unscathed.  They even picked up some new allies in the process and defeated an oytugh that had been drawn by the mayhem.  Each of the players used what they had and thought creatively.  I could not have been more proud.

I can’t wait to run some one-shots…

I was a peer reviewer and can assure you that every article in Vol. 2 well worth a read.  I especially enjoy the parts on theory and history of roleplaying games.  If you haven’t already, I also recommend checking out the Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, which includes just as many excellent offerings from the gaming community online.

The really cool thing about the OGT is that it is made up almost entirely (excepting introductions and some original art from volunteers) of material from the blogging community.  It’s a testament to the vitality of the gaming community today (and the willingness of the sponsors, including my favorite, Obsidian Portal, to support this kind of effort).  I can’t wait to read my copy, and I hope you will spend a few minutes on it.

Stickers on my MacBook

My favorite past time is plastering my laptop with all kinds of cool stickers.  I started with an EFF sticker that I received the first time I pledged and my most recent addition was the nifty new sticker from Duck Duck Go that you can see in the upper right hand corner.  Gabriel, the awesome guy who runs DDG, got a bunch of stickers printed up and has been sending them to the fans.  I got mine a few days ago and figured out the backing tonight. (It’s normal backing, I’m just stupid.)  I’d also like to point out my Apple Computer sticker, which came with my Dad’s first Apple laptop in the early nineties.  Vintage.

If you’ve never used Duck Duck Go, try it out right now.  I used to be a Google devotee but switched over to DDG after I read a Lifehacker article about it.  My favorite things about DDG are that you can use a whole slew of awesome keyboard shortcuts and they don’t track your usage data.  They also have an SSL option and a variety of power user features.  It’s now the default search on every browser on my computer and I never get frustrated with it.  The search page is great, the results page is great, and the way it helps you drill down to the content you want is just phenomenal.

I know I sound like a fanboy.  I am.  I refuse to apologize.  Now go try it.