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By John Webb
Self Published
OSR/5E
Level 2

[…] Years later, a band of opportunistic brigands took shelter in the manor ruins. In the depths below, their leader, Halren Pike, discovered the dagger and fell under its influence. Compelled by its will, he now seeks out elves and half-elves, testing their blood in search of a surviving bastard heir to House Thalanor. Though the bandits themselves are not uniformly cruel, their leader’s fixation has led to kidnappings, imprisonment, and worse. Some captives are released after being “tested.” Others are not so fortunate.

This twenty page adventure uses about seven pages to present sixteen rooms, six above and the rest below, in the ruins of a manor occupied by bandits. It’s a tactical deathtrap as your small band charges in to a mesatop fortress with a lot of lookouts and bandits present. It’s a raid, with nothing going on beside that. 

I dunno know. Either the designer asked for a review or it was in the OSR category trying to Puffery its way in to a few more sales. Ok, so, a long time ago there was an elf noble house that was mean to its subjects. People rise up and the lord kill himself and his family when things go south. His god is pissed at that. (So, you can be a despot and have a chill god but killing yourself and family so you won’t be taken is just a step too far.) Bandits move in a long time later. Their leader finds a dagger, cursed, that makes him test elves and half-elves by cutting them to see if they are the heirs to the elf noble house. This entire nonsense of stuff I find lame, with despotic elf nobles and the like. Man, just make them human. The whole “Demihumans are humans with pointy ears” thing is kind of lame. Where’s Jorune when you need it?  

Back to this, the designer tells us, up front: “With a mere sixteen rooms, this adventure’s complexity lies not in a vast sprawl, but more so in the behavior of its inhabitants and the unpredictability of its emergent narrative. Will the party fight, bluff, negotiate, or sneak their way into the lower level? Will they seek a peaceful resolution, or simply kill all in their path? Will they rescue prisoners at the expense of time and stealth, or leave them to an unjust fate? These are the questions that must be answered, Gamemaster, over the course of play. Alas, I cannot prescribe them nor would I, even if I were so capable! “  Just to be clear, none of that really exists in any practical manner.  I mean, yes, there are prisoners to rescue, but they are not really troublesome other than wanting to leave, just like all prisoners freed are. Nothing mentioned in that section is anything other than the normal course of play. Nothing special is going on. In fact, there’s a lot less special in this adventure than in most adventures. I don’t know. I guess if you play Napoleonic Miniatures and someone introduces a dungeon it might be remarkable, so, if you play D&D in hardcore 4e tactics mode then “Look! You can roleplay also!” might be interesting? 

“Wood Door: AC 13, 18 Hit Points, and immunity to Poison and Psychic damage.” Oh, how I have missed this nonsense. There’s nothing funnier than then when pay-per-word padding becomes the de rigueur standard because people grow up with it. But doctor… I am Pagliacci!. And, of course, married to that are explicit illumination notes in each room. This is so dumb. I’m not sure who these things are being written for that this kind of garbage has to be included. Well, no, I guess I stated it above. It’s written for someone paying by the word. But the designer writing THIS adventure doesn’t know that. They think that’s how you write an adventure. The sins of PF Changs Pad Thai run deep. That’s not real Pad Thai, but you don’t know that. Once you have the real thing you’ll never be fooled again. 

This is a frontal assault. There are nineteen bandits present, but six start not-at-home and return 10-40 minutes after the party starts fucking shit up. There’s not a super good description of the outside ruins environs, but from the map it looks like a cliff face with a landing on it ten or twenty feet up with fortress ruins on it. There’s a broad stair case up running parallel to the cliff face that then turns 90 degrees to run perpendicular to in to it. There are the remains of three watchtowers on the cliff “landing” ruins. There’s a bandit in the towers watching the approaches. There’s guard dogs sniffing shit out. The bandits have planted shriekers on the “unused” cliff edges as an alarm bell. There’s also a patrolling bandit, watching specifically the approach of the stairs, walking along the cliffside it is on looking for intruders. I’m afraid this is a tough nut to crack, even for my “burn it down and reroute the river method of murder-hoboing. There is a 10% chance a guard is asleep. Yeah? And, there is a secret door in. Right in playing view of all of the guards, on the stair landing where it turns 90 degrees. You gonna have to search for it and then make a history check at DC14 to recall the password. I don’t see how you do this under the guards’ noses. This all seems a bit much at level two. Well, for anything other than a pitched battle. Which is fine, but, it looks like a death trap to me with that approach. You could silence the shriekers … if you knew about them? And had access to level two spells? The secret door doesn’t seem reasonable. I guess that leaves bluffing your way to the top? I don’t know man. This feels like a hack … with the odds stacked against the party.

Inside it’s more of a hack, although not quite in the same “its a trap!” set up. There IS a curse you can break. You need to make an offering to a goddess of the correct type. Then commune with here. Then make a DC14 check. Then you’ll get a scroll that of remove curse. Then you gotta figure out that there IS a curse on the bandit leader and use the scroll. Yeah! Now they are just a normal group of bandits instead of a group of bandits that also “test” elves and half-elves by cutting them. Uh. Ok? Or, just stab the bandits? Oh no! The bloodthirsty demon has acne! Good thing you have him some zit creme, now he can get on with his reign of terror AND look good for his portraits! 

None of this shit makes much sense, and, it’s just a hack. I have no idea why it is in the OSR section of DriveThru. Usually that means Shadowdark, but not this one. I mean, it’s basically just a 4e adventure. And you KNOW that’s not a compliment. More minis combat min-maxing then RPG.

This is $5 at DriveThru. The preview gets you eight real pages, including some keys. Good preview. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/564113/the-ruins-of-manor-thalanor?1892600

The latest Kickstarter from the Merry Mushmen is XNOO #1, a 276 page "aperiodical" fantasy comics anthology. It features work by several rpg and comic artists, among them James West, Stefan Poag, and Jason Sholtis. Of interest to readers here, it also features the debut of the Land of Azurth comic "The Runaway Shadow" written by me and featuring art by comics veteran Mike Kazaleh. There's also great stuff by artists like Alexey Gorboot. Kennon James and Tim Molloy, and more!

In addition to the comics stories, it's filled out with articles by the likes of James Maliszewski and myself on related topics. My text piece is on comics adaptations of literary Sword & Sorcery characters.

You're going to want to check it out.

Head over to Kickstarter now to be notified on launch tomorrow.

It wasn’t just 1993’s infamous Dimensions in Time which saw the worlds of Walford and the TARDIS collide!

The residents of Albert Square have been encountering the Doctor all over time and space for decades, right back to the legendary Patrick Trueman (aka Rudolph Walker) in The War Games nearly 60 years ago.

Since the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, dozens of actors from the BBC’s long-running soap opera have made appearances, from Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) in Planet of the Dead to Angie Watts (Anita Dobson) as Mrs Flood in the most recent Who era.

Here’s a YouTube video revealing 34 of the most recognisable EastEnders stars to have entered the Whoniverse this century:

Have you spotted any others?

And if you ever felt like Adric’s death needed its ’80s melodrama ramped up another notch, here’s the iconic final moments of Earthshock soundtracked with ‘Julia’s Theme’, the fantastically over-the-top version of the EastEnders end credits music reserved for only the most tragic of Albert Square exits:

The post 34 EastEnders actors who’ve been in Doctor Who appeared first on Blogtor Who.

 Adapting the classic TSR module N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God into the economic and structural framework of Adventurer, Conqueror, King System II (ACKS II) transforms it from a localized low-level mystery into a hyper-rationalized, high-stakes sandbox scenario.ACKS II demands that an economic and ecological ecosystem underpin every settlement and dungeon. When running a Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who: Cybermen from a Parallel Universe, 2026 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

 Here is a d100 encounter and discovery table tailored for a gritty Sword & Sorcery wasteland or ruin, complete with classic Castles & Crusades (C&C) monster stats.The mechanics utilize standard C&C terminology: HD (Hit Dice), HP (Hit Points), AC (Armor Class), BtH (Base to Hit), and Primary Attributes for Saves (Physical/Mental). This blog post picks right up from Two Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

For decades, Rey Mysterio has been one of the most beloved and influential figures in professional wrestling. Now, the legendary luchador is stepping into a brand-new role that could shape…

The post REY MYSTERIO IS ANNOUNCED AS THE GM FOR AAA appeared first on First Comics News.

DC COMICS ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #20 BATMAN #163 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4 (OF 4) FACSIMILE EDITION DETECTIVE COMICS #1109 FLASH #33 GOTHAM ACADEMY FIRST YEAR #4 (OF 6)…

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‌ Superman encountered several super-females during his long career, including his own cousin and various amped-up versions of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. But Susan Semple was a variation on…

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I’m thrilled about today’s interview. I’ve known the subject almost as long as the Puerto Rico Role Players group has existed. I’m sure we had many friends in common before that, and I’m sure we had crossed paths, but he is someone who came to the Geeknics, with whom I stayed in contact online, and with whom I have become friends thanks to gaming.

And I always love that his presence at Geeknics was a family affair, his wife, their kids. I remember running a game at a Geeknic (can’t remember which one) where he and his children played. Seeing Enrique and talking to him is always a pleasure. Getting a copy of his zine last February was a thrill. I love seeing Puerto Rican creators and game designers share their creations with the gaming community.

Here is the interview.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

Hey, I’m Enrique Vélez. I like games and like to tinker with game mechanics. Maybe one day I’ll be an accomplished game designer!

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

30% daydreaming, 30% brainstorming, 40% neglecting my day job.

Like most game designers, I started with some house rules for my campaign, then reverse-engineered the core rules of my favorite game at the time, and so on. For some time, I was building up to what would be a “Fantasy Heartbreaker,” but I’ve tempered my expectations and am currently aiming to publish a few zines and then see where that takes me.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

In my early 20s, I learned a lot about TTRPGs from internet forums. Back then, there were no VTTs, but we played a few sessions of D&D and West End Games’ Star Wars over IRC.

I didn’t have an opportunity to play in person until my early 30s.

Do you actively play TTRPG? What are you playing?

I’m currently playing an Eberron campaign on D&D 5.5. I recently started a Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG game, but scheduling it is going to be super tricky. Fingers crossed!

What do you want to play next?

I really want to GM some Daggerheart! I’m definitely going to, once the current D&D campaign is canceled, we all know those never actually end.

Playing Daggerheart at Titan Games with Brightcandle

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

I published Escalations & Commitments: a 5e-compatible TTRPG, 2nd Edition, by Enrique Vélez almost two years ago. A silly game about being stuck with D&D. It’s free to download on Itch! A quick read too, probably shorter than this blog post!

I wrote that game in a day using ideas I had been working on for years, basically as a way to get some ideas and frustrations off my chest.

I’m currently working on RadioPunk 20XX. It’s cyberpunk, but less edgy, with an intuitive and tactile dice pool system I made from scratch.

Right now, I could really use some feedback on the manuscript before I move on to playtesting. Stargazer’s World readers interested in lending a hand can reach out through Discord or Bluesky.

Where can people get your project?

Enrique Vélez – itch.io

Any closing thoughts?

Ask your game designer friend about their game. You’ll make their day.

Thank you, Enrique! So that you know, I am not a poser. Let me share some pictures of the zine he mentioned above.

And I have the signed copy, and no, I’m not posting it on eBay.

Last but definitely not least, let me thank Miguel Velez (Brightcandle), another dear friend, amazing person, and a great GM who is actively supporting the local gaming community, doing demo games and spreading the love of TTRPGS, including his participation yesterday May 23rd, 2026, where he was one of the GMs for Titan Games Daggerheart one-year-anniversary event, where he was one of the GMs. His pictures of Enrique are the ones I used in this post. Thank you for the pictures and the work you do, Miguel.

Fernando Menezes is one of those comic book artists whose work instantly grabs your attention. The Brazilian illustrator has built a strong reputation through dynamic storytelling, expressive characters, and exciting…

The post Artist on the Rise – Fernando Menezes appeared first on First Comics News.

 The PC's came against a medium enforcer of the The Crimsiki crime family who came in right after The Black Bat was enroute to the crime scene after the kids were saved. Firefight II was a huge pain in the arse for the party. And things got worse as the whole space lit on fire as the plasma bolts of the villain lit the space up. Fire Fight II thinks he's the only one true inheritorNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

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Rivals are back for round two as David Tennant’s Lord Baddingham takes the gloves off

Few Doctors have had a post-Doctor Who career as varied and prolific as David Tennant. Now he’s back with another of his popular successes as Rivals returns for a second series. Based on the books by Jilly Cooper, the show stars Tennant as Tony Baddingham, the ruthless, wealthy, and womanizing head of Corinium Television. The epitome of 1980s excess, Baddingham will stop at nothing to maintain control of a lucrative regional television franchise. But then again, his greatest rival Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) will stop at nothing to conquer it himself. The result of their clash is an outlandish mix of corporate skullduggery, betrayal, and bed-hopping affairs.

Following Venturer’s unexpected success in the local TV world, Lord Baddingham is more determined than ever in Series Two to bring his enemies down, offering a glimpse into the murky tactics he resorts to now that the gloves are fully off. Meanwhile, the messy love lives of Rutshire’s residents are starting to cause even more problems than usual, and in this glossy 1980s world, private drama has a habit of going public.

Rivals co-stars Claire Rushbrook (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit), Annabel Scholey (Flux), Brendan Patricks (The Crimson Horror), and Amanda Lawerence (The Doctor’s Wife). Also appearing are Milo Callaghan (Dot and Bubble), and Maxim Ays (Rogue). Outside of the world of Doctor Who, the cast includes Aiden Turner (Being Human, Poldark), Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners) and Danny Dyer (EastEnders.)

Series Two also introduces Olive Tennant, daughter of David and Georgia Tennant, and granddaughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, as Baddingham’s daughter Camilla.

The first four episodes of series two are available now on Disney+, with the next two arriving on Thursdays, and the remaining six episodes of the season following later in the year.

The post Rivals is Back for Season Two! appeared first on Blogtor Who.

 Yes, Barrows & Borderlands (B&B) fits seamlessly into this mix—in fact, it provides the exact missing piece of the puzzle.This blog post picks right up from Integrating Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargraves Arduin GrimoiresIf ACKS II provides the rigid macro-economics (the "Conqueror" and "King" phasesNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Title: Battle Beast # 9 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Annalisa Leoni & Ryan Ottley Colorist: Annalisa Leoni Letterer: Rus Wooton Covers: Annalisa Leoni & Ryan Ottley, Mike…

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POISON IVY #47 Written by G. WILLOW WILSON Art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ Cover by JESSICA FONG Variant covers by NOOBOVICH, KYUYONG EOM, and MANNY VINCENT CARBONILLA $3.99 US | 32 pages…

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