Review: MCC #9: Evil of the Ancients (Mutant Crawl Classics)

Find it at the Goodman Games store!

Having finally plumbed the depths of an ancient complex the resident shaman forced the local AI to submit to its will by calling on ACHROMA to display its secrets the seekers found a hidden installation deep within the lower level.

The Setup

Evil of the Ancients is a self contained adventure, but it can also serve as a direct follow up to MCC #2: Incursion of the Ultradimension. I didn't use it as such, and in fact changed the entire approach to suit my campaign, with the locale of the adventure moved from a stand-alone base to a hidden portion of a different facility. As written the adventure starts when the players find an intact structure above ground and investigate. As such a Judge can insert this adventure into nearly any locale or region of the world that they want.

***Spoilers***



***Last warning, spoilers ahead***



The adventure is about a facility that is "haunted" by extra dimensional creatures accidentally pulled into the world in the closing days of the ancients before the great disaster. These creatures are trying to get home, and in order to do so need to sacrifice a powerful psychic mutant. The adventure is meant to be creepy and atmospheric as the mental influence of these aliens slowly wears away at the PCs and influences increasingly bizarre and dangerous behavior.

***End Spoiler***

The Good

The first thing that I want to praise is the ease of insertion into campaign play. It's easy to grab any old adventure and run it as a stand alone, a one-shot, or in a campaign that is only loosely defined, but the way I run my game I find a lot of adventures require extra work to make them fit into my world and narrative. This adventure is very much "drag and drop" and really helps in that regards

Secondly this adventure really oozes with atmosphere, and a Judge who takes the time to build that atmosphere and mood up will reap the rewards of a table full of paranoid players. The adventure really hinges on this as well, with very little in the way of traditional conflict. Instead it plays out like a haunted house scenario until the characters themselves begin to fall prey to the aliens' mind games and turn on each other. As a result this "level 3" adventure could be run with almost any level of characters with just a few tweaks.

The Bad

Honestly, I have no complaints. The adventure is pretty great, with a lot of the role play elements that drive the plot forward to keep things going. The story is a creepy one, and perhaps a better means for that larger story to out itself might have been nice, but I don't think that all that information needs to be made clear to the players anyways; mystery and suspense are easier to maintain when the players don't know what's going on. The adventure even gives you a couple of different outs depending on player actions and the Judge's preference. Talk about accommodating.

The Ugly

This isn't an adventure that will slam dunk with every group. It's very role play heavy and fairly light on combat. It worked for mygroup because they took the role-play and ran with it, especially as the *ahem* mental influences began to rack up. If your group just wants to do beer and pretzels and slay some freaks this may be a hard sell.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed Evil of the Ancients immensely. My group had fun, and even though some of the role play aspects were played open due to the nature of an online session my group ran with them anyway and had a ton of fun with this one. The story is interesting and maybe a little tragic, and the growing tension plays out very well at the table if your players are the type to roll with it. I'm going to rate this 4 rads out of 4!

Review - Primal Tales Issue One

Get it now

I don't do a lot of reviews, because reviews are hard, but I got this and thought it was worth my time to put some words out.

Vitals
Published By: Pandahead Publishing • Written by: Brandon LaSalle and Brett Brooks • 38 pages • $6.00 • B&W PDF (with a color cover) • $10.00 • B&W Softcover (with a color cover)

What's In It?

Primal Tales is a 3rd party product for Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC; and fully compatible with Mutant Crawl Classics (MCC)). Contained herein are rules for anthropomorphic animal folk that differ from those contained within MCC. The primal are less of a race/class combo as commonly found in both DCC and MCC and more of a racial template in the way that humans are treated in those same games. The primal have the option of three character classes; the Savage Warrior, the Arcaster, and the Chimerae, which are analgous to a DCC Warrior, DCC Wizard, and a DCC Cleric with a more druidly bent. Lastly there is a write up for a new Patron, Lamia, and some of Lamia's servant creatures.

The primals are created very similarly to a standard DCC/MCC character with new tables to determine the animal species (or family) and occupation. The occupations are similar to those found in DCC, but the animal's family/species determine the type and damage of their natural weapons (teeth, claws, horns, etc.) as well as some innate natural abilities. These abilities are minor, like increased base movement, dice modifications for certain skill checks, or even specific capabilities like the ability to hold ones breath for an extended duration, the ability to glide for short distances, and more.

In this respect the primals may exceed the manimals of MCC at their base level for some players, and even if not expressly using these rules a Judge may use this to inform their own game. Conversely, the mutations that a manimal gets in MCC put them into an entirely different scope of play in some respects.

Of the classes the most interesting is the Chimerae which uses the divine spellcasting rules (using disapproval instead of corruption) forgoes the Cleric's Lay on Hands to instead gain Animal Transformation, and has a custom spell list built up from the Wizard and Cleric lists plus a handful of additional spells included in this book. Honestly this class is good enough to be included in an otherwise vanilla DCC game as a human Druid class without further modification; I really like it that much.

The Savage Warrior is basically a standard DCC warrior with improved damage and crit range on the primal's natural weapons. Meanwhile the Arcaster is very nearly a DCC wizard except for an automatic "Spirit Familiar" spell gained at level 1. Both of these classes are fine options for the primal but do very little to expand on the existing classes.

Lastly we get a new Patron in the form of Lamia, a figure from Greek myth, here given the full power of a patron. There are custom Invoke Patron, Patron Taint, and Patron Spells included as well as a handful of minions. All of these are interesting and new when compared to existing DCC Patrons and MCC AI Patrons. Again, I would include this material even in a DCC game without primals.

Closing Thoughts

If anthropomorphic animals are your thing this may well be a worthy product for you to consider. The different animal families/species all feel different and have traits to make them feel like the creatures they are meant to be, The primal classes range from interesting to fantastic (really the Chimerae is great!), and the introduction of Lamia provides an interesting new patron option that is both powerful and creepy.

Score: 90% Pretty much a grand slam, if only the Savage Warrior and Arcaster were a little more different from the base classes.

Review: MCC #2: A Fallen Star for All (Mutant Crawl Classics)

Find it at the Goodman Games store!

Moving onward from our opening "funnel" (I use quotes there because it kinda was a funnel and kinda wasn't) I sent my players out to investigate the impact site of a fallen star that burned in the jungle miles from their home...

The Setup

A star fell from the sky and set the jungle alight. That was days ago, and scouts have reported back the the fire is dying down and the fallen star has revealed a lost city of the ancient ones. Your tribe has sent you and your seeker team to investigate and return with all the artifacts you can, but be wary, there are other tribes who desire those same artifacts and they may be willing to fight for them.

The Good

It took us four sessions to complete this adventure. We play weeknights and usually get about 2-2.5 hours of game in per session so this is easily enough material for 8-10 hours of gaming. Probably a little less if you don't have to recap prior sessions as heavily. For a $10 module I look at this as a very good return on investment.

The initial advance up to the crater and into the complex are very good with a lot of chances for combat, exploration, and role play. There's also some interesting new creatures and artifacts before you even get inside.

Once inside the facility there's a lot to do and even if the group moves quick there's plenty of options as the Judge to run encounters.

The Bad

Unfortunately there;s also so much going on inside the complex that at times it's hard to keep everything straight. There's also so much packed in that some of it isn't as well developed as I would have liked to have seen. There's an AI who could have used a little more meat to aid in roleplay, and part of the final portion is explained to the Judge but not really easy to get across to the characters. Still these are fairly minor complaints overall, and may be less of concern to other Judges.

The Ugly

In my review of Assault on the Sky High Tower I lamented some Tech Levels that were high enough to maybe be impossible to interact with using the rules as written. I don't mind this for optional or non-critical portions of the module, but I take issue when they become impediments to progress. In this instance there was a TL 6 object that required at least an Intelligence of 18 (as written). I ruled it down some, because I didn't see the point, but again it seemed weird.

However I started to think that maybe there was a change in the Tech Level rules during the development process and during the time this module was written when I found that there were some Tech Level 8 items at the end of the adventure. According to the rule book the highest TL is 7 which needs an Int of 24 and represents alien tech (where this is meant to be ancient technology). I believe now it is likely that there was a change and this module wasn't updated accordingly.

Also ugly was the let down of finding out that the fallen star was just a McGuffin to expose the complex to the world and didn't factor into the adventure thereafter. If I run this again in the future I'll make a change in that respect.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed A Fallen Star for All and I think my group did too. There were some sticky bits but nothing is perfect (or some I'm told). The adventure provided a "dungeon" to delve that was full of interesting encounters and artifacts. The bang for the buck I got out of this module was impressive given that I got around 12 hours of play out of this module (4 sessions of around 3 hours each). I'm going to rate this 3.5 rads out of 4.

Review: Assault on the Sky High Tower (Mutant Crawl Classics)

Assault on the Sky High Tower (henceforth "Assault") is the Zero-level funnel found at the back of the Mutant Crawl Classics RPG core rule book. It's going to be the first stop for a great many game groups and campaigns, and in so doing it will be used as a benchmark by Judges for how to start a campaign as well. Let's take a look at how it stacks up.

While I do not plan to spoiler this adventure in full the process of a good review more or less requires that I discuss aspects of this adventure, and therefore some degree of spoiler is to be expected beyond this point. Tread carefully ye who plan to play.

The Setup

If you're here I'm assuming you know about the DCC & MCC concept of a 0-level funnel. If not the gist is that instead of starting at level 1 you start at level 0 as a nobody who doesn't even have a full character class. Players usually play multiple of these and many perish. Those who survive may just become heroes.

In Mutant Crawl Classics the zero level PCs are young adults sent out on a rite of passage to find artifacts for the betterment of their community. Returning alive is good, returning with a working artifact is better. The better the artifact the better your standing in the tribe. In Assault your zeroes are sent out on just such an excursion, but soon afterwards they are whisked away to an ancient structure, the titular Sky High Tower, where treasures of the past may be looted.

There are dangers however, in the form of long unattended robots, mutant ancient ones, and fellow denizens of the hot house jungle. Possibly even your fellow tribesmen; after all there's only so much loot to go around.

The Good

The adventure starts out slow and gives the players and the Judge time to suss out how they want to play things. I generally like actions to be as descriptive as possible, and try to reward such things. Clever and thorough players have a chance to find some good loot early on with very low risk to themselves. Of course there is the risk of trying to understand artifacts, but that's built into the game.

Once things get going there's a transition to a different environment and an early combat with a robot that seems like it could be a bloodbath, and it's certainly likely to start the process of whittling away at the excess characters. The adventure takes it's time alternating between action/combat and exploration. This pacing is pretty great but it can lead to things running long toward the end if the players dawdle. As Judge the last third to quarter needs to be run a little lean if your players have taken their time, but it's easy enough to delete some encounters or make some things a little easier to keep the pace moving.

The Bad

Oh man there are some seriously mean spots here. Probably the meanest is the treadmill the PCs have to deal with to get into the Sky High Tower. Maybe I'm a bastard, or maybe I ran it "wrong" (I doubt it), but I can easily see this specific location being the bloodiest part of the adventure. It's tough, and I think it's the only part of the module I felt was under-written, I could have used a little more detail to help Judge the encounter with. It's tough, but it is also fun and memorable, so just keep an eye open if you're Judging this.

There's also a big bad (as such) that is sort of an optional encounter that I feel is a little on the unfair in a not fun way.  Perhaps it was the way the group approached which split the party between the game world and the real world, or maybe it was the insane stats for the game world version of the bad guy. When I read it I wondered how any of the PCs would survive, but when I ran it the dice had other ideas. I'd almost like to run this again and get a better idea of what a more normal run through this encounter would look like. Again, memorable, but maybe a touch heavy on the TPK side.

The Ugly

OK, so there's a couple of things at the end of the adventure that are pretty boss if the characters figure out how to use them. Unfortunately there is a reasonable chance that the characters could set off a party killing explosion but also not have a chance to get out or away. See, there's a flying car they can steal, but it's tech level 5, which means you need at least a 15 Intelligence to even try and roll to use it. I don't think it's impossible that by this point in the adventure they could be "locked out" of a chance at escape by simple lack of a smart enough PC. I'm OK with a TPK but I want to earn it because of what they PCs do and not what they are unable to do. In this case I ignored the tech level entirely and I would suggest you do so as well. If they try and fail (which is still likely as it has a Complexity Modifier of 10!) that's on them, but at least give them the chance to try.

Final Thoughts

It's hard to say just how good this adventure is or isn't. It's one of three I've run and I've played in a fourth not counting the bits and pieces of a tournament funnel at GenCon and so my breadth of experience with MCC adventures is pretty narrow thus far. That said I think that it's a pretty good module. The pacing is pretty tight until the very end and while brutally difficult in spots I think it played well. As a start to a campaign it gave the PCs some powerful artifacts which will impact what they can do going forward, and so we'll see if I come to regret the medipack they gained or the flying car or not. I'm going to give this three rads out of four. It's a solid starting place weighed down mostly (at least in my eyes) but a couple mistakes and a really weird final "boss."

Nuts & Bolts #145 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #12 & Series Review

Kamandi Challenge #12 is out and at last the series is wrapped up and complete. Here's my thoughts on

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #7
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #8
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #9
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #10
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #11

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $4.99 • full color • Art: Jill Thompson, Ryan Sook, & Joe Prado • Words: Gail Simone & Paul Levitz & José Luis Garcia-Lopez

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




OK, where were we? Oh, right, Kamandi was in hard vacuum and falling toward earth. A briefly has a weird dream, or perhaps a vision of a girl like him named ... wait for it ... Kamanda. Get it, Command A, Kamanda. Ugh. Yeah, sadly it doesn't get much better.

Kamandi gets woken from his reverie by Royer and Silverback as the three plunge downward toward the Earth. No, no final confrontation on the Tek-Moon, instead with the help of his jetpack and the self sacrifice of Silverback to protect his companions Kamandi and Royer crash in the wastelands once more.

There they are attacked by a group of rats but quickly a peace is made when the rats realize who Kamandi is and take him to their leader. Gnawbit, the rat leader begs Kamandi's aid in destroying the Misfit's Terror-Naut by being the pilot for ... a gestalt of rats in the form of a huge "king rat." Mecha on rat-gestalt combat ensues with the Terror-Naut finally being destroyed by the use of a Cyclo-heart to cause a massive fusion explosion.

And then things get weird...

Kamandi at last meets his dad in the form of Jack Kirby. Kirby grants Kamandi three wishes. We get a couple of trippy almost if situations, and then Kamandi uses his third wish to apparently reset the world entirely.

OK. Story wise this issue was a disappointment for me. I don't know if this was planned or if the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Simone & Levitz but I was underwhelmed. Artistically this was a good to great issue. The panels are detailed without being busy, the story in pictures flows cleanly. World building was limited with only the introduction of the apparently techno-organic rats. Who is the Misfit? We'll never know. What happened to Kamandi's parents? They don't tell us. Truly the end did not justify the journey.

Rating:

• Issue #12 - 50% - The final story lacks a satisfying conclusion saved only by the art.

The Series Overall

OK, So I didn't much care for the denouement of the series, but what about the series as a whole?

As a whole I can say that it was an interesting experiment. Having a variety of voices and artists on the project led to a wide array of styles of the story telling and the stories themselves. Unfortunately the "challenge" part of this project also led to very disconnected story transitions at times, and, ultimately, a less than satisfying ending. I think there's something there if there's a little more editorial oversight of the whole to ensure that the parts fit. 

That said, I think that for people new to Kamandi (as I am) it worked well as an introduction to the world. The various authors skipping about the world and introducing all corners of the setting in brief or in depth provided great world building for the most part. As a gamer, and a fan of post apocalypse stories, I could easily take what parts of this setting I was shown and flesh it out for use on a tabletop. Would it be deep and detailed? No, but that's part of the fun of playing RPGs is creating that depth and detail as GM or player in game at the table. I'd rate the world building at a 8.5 out of 10. 

Story wise the series overall is hit or miss issue to issue and the overall is a little disjointed and lacks a satisfying conclusion. Other than Kamandi there are no long term characters to last more than 2 issues which is not a point in its favor. Likewise there's a general lack of strong female characters which is also a disappointment. Story I'd rate 6 out of 10, buoyed by some of the better early issues.

Art is also hit or miss. Generally though the art was good to great. There were 2 or 3 stand out issues where the art was amazing, and only one where I really thought the art was lacking in quality and clarity for storytelling. I'd give the art a 9 out of 10 overall, with a few standouts that are easily 10s.

My overall rating of the series is an 8. I considered a 7.5 but the good parts were good enough to raise it up. 

Series Rating

• 80% overall, or about 9 of 12 issues worth their salt.

Nuts & Bolts #144 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #11

Kamandi Challenge #12 is out today! So let's discuss #11. Spoilers henceforth.

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #7
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #8
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #9
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #10

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Walter Simonson • Words: Rob Williams

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




OK, where were we? Oh, right, Kamandi, having just learned that his mother was behind the attempted genocide of the mutants watches as an explosion consumes her. As the rebel mutants storm the keep Kamandi's mother is revealed to be a sophisticated android who then launches the tower skyward.

A running firefight begins while Kamandi attempts to reach the bridge and hopefully stop the tower from flying into space.  By the time Kamandi arrives at the bridge however they have already reached orbit and are approaching a strange space station ruled by the Misfit, a strange creature that claims to have Kamandi's parents.

As the gulf to the station closes Kamandi desperately attempts to stop it. In doing so he opens the ship to attack by the Gorilla UFO Squadron. The gorillas board the tower and Kamandi pleads with them that he is not their enemy. The Misfit opens fire on the tower rather than risk the gorillas reach his Tek-Moon base, and Kamandi is blow into space when the ship is breached...

There's a lot to unpack in this issue. High tech androids that can pass as humans effortlessly, URO flying gorillas and an orbital space station ruled by the Misfit, who's origin is still unknown. Kamandi's mother appears to be dead, but the Misfit says his father is still living, but as we know that the shift in writers can lead to unreliable narrative (in a matter of speaking) it's unclear how much of that is true. From a world building standpoint we also get an in-fiction map of the world matching that of the original run of the comics.

Story-wise this issue raised as many questions as it attempted to answer, including who or what is the Misfit, what's going on with Kamandi's parents, and where this will all end. Of course it seems destined to end on the Tek-Moon and we may yet find one or both of Kamandi's actual parents alive. The ultimate fate of the world seems to be in the balance as well, with the Misfit's goal seeming to be the destruction of the mutant animals. Art-wise this issues was good to excellent with clear action and interesting design for the Misfit.

Overall I think this was a fine set-up to the finale. It raised a number of questions but I think (I hope) that this can be wrapped up in a final issue that will satisfactorily close out the series.

Rating: 85% - As a penultimate issue it sends the narrative to a potentially interesting final destination.

Nuts & Bolts #141 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #10

Kamandi Challenge #11 is out today! So let's discuss #10. Spoilers henceforth.

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #7
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #8
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #9

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Shane Davis • Words: Greg Pak

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




OK, where were we? Oh, right, the room and Kamandi, now alone, when the robot comes for him. It turns out that these robots are cataloging and stuffing the mutant animals of the world. Kamandi grabs a weapon and escapes, stealing a jet ski from another robot and fleeing over the open ocean. Of course this is our opportune moment to get SHARKS. WITH. UZIS! Yes, that's right a gang of punk/biker inspired sharks with uzi's and assault weapons saves Kamandi from the robots giving chase.

Kamandi then washes up on shore of an island with a massive technological tower deep in the jungle. The sharks, unable to go on land, request that Kamandi go there and kill the person who controls the robots trying to wipe out all the animals. With the help of some cat allies Kamandi makes his way to the tower, determined to stop the killing. There he is cornered by still more robots (who are surprisingly weak against gunfire) before he is saved by his battle-armor wearing mother. They quickly catch up and we learn that Kamandi was left in the Command D bunker while his mother and father fought in the "Android Wars."

When Kamandi suggests they hurry before the base's commander finds them we get the reveal and turn that will (I hope) drive the last two issues of the series. Kamadi's mother is the commander, and she fully intended to wipe out the mutant animals from the Earth.

I liked this issue. I didn't love it. It wasn't perfect, but it was good, and I enjoyed the reveal, even though it was hardly a shock considering the battle armor Kamandi's mother was wearing, all jacked up elbow and shoulder plates adorned with spikes. As advancement to the story of the series this is the turning point episode (oh god I hope) where we transition from an episodic romp around the globe in search of Kamandi's parents and the series will (I assume) finish with a pair of more serial stories wherein the very fate of the Earth is at stake.

The art in this issue is good. The action is clear and easy to follow, and the designs are interesting. It's not especially amazing, but it's quite good. The story is a bit drawn out, there's a couple of combats with robots that while they convey how well guarded this facility is. Unfortunately they also draw out the actual story advancement, almost padding out the issue in a not so great way. Overall this is certainly not the high water mark of the last issue, or even some of the first few issues earlier this year, but is is good, and it does introduce the beginning of the end and set the stakes for the last two issues.

Rating: 80% - The end is nigh, and at last we are seeing just what the denouement of this series will look like..

Nuts & Bolts #138 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #9

Kamandi Challenge #10 is out today! So let's discuss #9. Spoilers henceforth.

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #7
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #8

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Kevin Eastman & Freddie Williams II • Words: Tom King

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




OK, where were we? Oh, right, treading water (literally and figuratively) and at the mercy of a sea serpent... And then everything went black and white. Before I even get into the story I need to talk about the art. I've spoken my mind about the art because I'm trying to review this series from all angles and objectively. The art has been everything from great to middling in quality. Perhaps if I were an artist I'd be more prone to upgrade or downgrade the art in certain issues, but even at its subjective worst it's been better than anything I could muster.

It's also been consistently in full color. Generally rather richly so. Not so this issue, which when I first flipped it open in the store struck me as odd, and then I realized I knew this art. I don't know crap about 99% of comic art, but I instantly recognized Kevin Eastman's handiwork. Hyper detailed black and white with a lot of shading. A rounded look to everything that makes thing look softer and stranger. And technology that looks like it borders on organic. After last issue the art for this made my dread melt away, I was ready to read!

Which is good because this story turned out pretty awesome. It's not perfect, but it's the kind of story that makes you want to read more. That makes you anxious for the next issue, and makes you curse the month wait to get it. Kamandi wakes from darkness, presumably swallowed whole by the serpent from the last issue, although this is now explicitly shown. He is in a rough-hewn chamber with several mutant animals. There's a door, and shortly after he wakes it opens and allows a robot (or maybe an alien wearing strange armor?) into the room. Without a word the robot takes of the mutants and leaves, the door closing behind. Kamandi's attempt to stop it is thwarted with little more effort than a backhand from the robot that sends the boy hurling across the chamber.

They, the prisoners, soon settle into routine. Kamandi trains and every time the robot arrives to take another of the prisoners he attempts to stop it, and every time he is defeated with almost casual ease. As the days tick by Kamandi trains his body as his cellmates dwindle in numbers, always he tries to save them and always he is defeated.

Until he is alone.

And finally the robot comes for him.

We never get so much as a hint of where the prisoners are taken or what lies beyond the strange door. The robot never utters a sound. Kamandi never gives up trying to fight, but in the end he too is taken into that white light beyond the portal.

The story is simple enough, but it is the struggle and the conversations that each of the prisoners has that makes this issue so interesting to me. They pose ideas of what lies beyond; a perfect world, or a never ending hell of similar rooms. The imagination of  the reader is left to fill in the story until the next issue resolves it, and while in the grade whole this may not end up the greatest issue of the series, that open ended nature makes it the greatest until #10 releases.

Rating: 90% - An great story that captures your attention and imagination.

Nuts & Bolts #135 - Review: Blade Runner 2049

Thirty-five years is a long time to wait for a sequel. Some would say that Blade Runner didn't need a sequel at all. That it was a perfectly fine film that didn't need a Hollywood ending that tied every loose end into a bow. I was one of that group. I like the original, I have no problem with the questions left unanswered. I'd have been far more indignant if not for another beloved cyberpunk film that got a sequel that added to the original: Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell: Innocence was somehow equal to the original. It answered some questions and raised others. It worked.

Granted, GitS:I wasn't a thirty five year wait, and it came out of Japan, out from the thumb of the Hollywood machine that churns out bad sequels to bad movies in the name of making a buck. The Hollywood system is why I (we?) groan when people mention Pirates of the Caribbean instead of remembering fondly how fun the first one was. It's why I (we?) cringe when yet another Transformers movie comes out. Somehow Blade Runner 2049 avoided the fate of some many sequels and reboots. It honors the original without diminishing it in our memories, and it adds to the legacy and world in positive ways.

It's not perfect. A friend rated it an 8.5/10 and I'd agree. I'm a little tired of the "bwaa" soundtrack, and this movie leaned on that dissonance as auditory clue in certain ways that had me wondering at times why it was a thing in the first place. The pacing is a bit  uneven, with a few moments around half way through that made me contemplate a trip to the restroom. That said, for a movie with a ~2:45 running time it goes by amazingly well for much of that time. The cold open is pretty great, and dovetails into a blooming flower of plot that proves really well constructed. There's stuff early on that you don't realize facilitates plot points until well later in the film.

It's also really pretty. Even the dingy parts are really well shot and blocked. It's dark in places, but well lit in others, and where the original delved deep into the darkness of the setting this film seems set on showing that there is brightness in the world still.

I agree with the 8.5/10 or maybe a 4.5/5. It's good. It's damn good. It's not perfect, but then again, what movie is?

Nuts & Bolts #133 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #8

Kamandi Challenge #9 is out today! So let's discuss #8. Spoilers henceforth.

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #7

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Rude • Words: Giffen

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




OK, where were we? Oh, right, on a hang glider being attacked by a parasite. Ho hum, Kamandi foils this one by landing in the water, swimming to shore, and tearing the parasite off him before smashing it to bits. Basically something that last issue took over some of Kamandi's allies in seconds posed ... zero threat. Sadly it actually manages to get worse from here...

The remainder of the issue has Kamandi caught between two warring tribes, one of wolves, the other of goats and sheep. Each sees Kamandi as a prophesied hero of their people: Ulysses or Odysseus. Seriously. Kamandi manages to leverage his position to get a boat and try to make his escape as the tribes go to the dumbest war ever. Which is par for what is the dumbest issue of the run so far by a long margin.

The art was OK, but the writing was poor. Both the story and the dialog were unclear and uninteresting and at times actively confusing. A number of the scenes throughout can be summed by two aesthetically similar tribes yelling "Ulysses" or "Odysseus" while smashing into each other. By the end of the issue I was glad it was done, and happy to know that the next issue wouldn't feature anything by this issue's team. Maybe I'm being harsh but I can't abide by a boring and poorly written narrative that weighs down a limited series with pointless silliness.

As I said the art was ... OK, it wasn't great by any means and a lot of the pages were just confusing in layout and visual narration with two two factions having a very similar look. There were a few decent splash pages but mostly they came at the end and couldn't redeem what had come before.

World building is likewise a fail, mostly because neither tribe was interesting. The setting was likewise boring, being a little explored island with some woods and vaguely Greek inspired architecture. Even the colossus like status of Ulysses/Odysseus just elicited a groan from me when fully revealed at the end of the issue. Previously, tropes like communist bears were at least refreshed by the addition of a hive mind and a robot god-city. There was no such refreshing brought to this issues cultures.

As if all that wasn't obnoxious enough the credits are all paired off as Ulysses and Odysseus pen names. It makes me think that Giffen and Rude realized this was garbage and wanted to cover their tracks.

Make like Kamandi and run from this trite and boring story.

Rating: 20% - An entirely wasted effort that I will probably never bother to re-read. A waste of $4. The 20% only comes from the few decent panels of art and the fact that next issue has new creatives.

Nuts & Bolts #131 - Review: Hex Kit

This map took me less than 30 minutes...

This is, I think, a first for my blog: a review of software. I'm not the most computer literate guy around. For the past decade or so I've been getting by using Chromebooks at home and whatever they gave me to use at work. I always knew it was a stop gap measure, but for a good while the Chromebooks worked for my needs. The one biggest downside was their lack of software support.

When I back Torment: Tides of Numenera, I knew I would eventually have to buy a "real" PC to be able to play, and when I later backed Cecil Howe's Hex Kit mapping tool I figured "Well, I already have to buy a PC..."

Both Torment and Hex Kit have been available for month now, but it was only this past weekend that I finally bought into a new PC. It's hardly a supercomputer, but considering I've been getting by on Chromebooks it feels a bit like on to me!

All of that preamble is to explain why I'm reviewing something that has been available since April. That said I'm so impressed with the artistic quality of Mr. Howe's Hex Kit map hexes, and the ease of use for the Hex Kit tool that I felt "better late than never" would apply.

Hex Kit is an inexpensive ($15) mapping tool for PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) published by Cone Of Negative Energy (Mr. Howe's publishing self) via itch.com. It's a tool that allows one to use pre-render tiles to build hex maps. The above image was constructed mostly from the "Fantasyland" set (an add-on that I also purchased) which consists of literally hundreds of hexes in numerous styles with a few dozen of each style being available. You can click on farmland for instance and just quickly fill in a 6 by 6 hex sheet with the following at random:

Alternately I can choose a specific tile and populate the same, I can even rotate the tiles to form a neat and tidy look if I choose:

It's quick and easy and even a caveman can do it. These tiles are gorgeous because ... they're hand painted. Mr. Howe hand paints these on paper and then scans them. This project is a huge labor of love as much as it is a useful tool for players and GMs. The lead in image was created for the DCC game I am playing in where the characters just arrived on the Purple Planet. Since the GM (+James Walls) said it would be a hex crawl I jumped at the chance to not only fully embrace the classic hex crawl but also to use this awesome new tool I'd finally started to play with.

I back the kickstarter, and got in for short money, but I can't stress how impressed I am with this from a tool standpoint. It supports multiple layers (so you could even create a fog of war layer to hide stuff from your players) and features numerous unique places of interest, roads, rivers, coasts, forests, mountains, hills, etc. There's even a space themed add-on set that you could use to create maps for sci-fiction games like Stars Without Number, Star Trek, or Star Wars. And every tile is something that was hand painted, and scanned. Every. One.

Oh and on the off chance you aren't already sold there's a dungeon kit in works. Also you can output random maps with barely any clicks at all. Check this out!

I don't wholeheartedly recommend stuff with this kind of wild abandon very often, but I think for the price this is this kind of tool that any GM or player with a hankering for maps will probably be happy with. I do recommend you grab the Fantasyland expansion however. While the base set of black and white tiles is still not only very functional, but also attractive, these tiles really pop if you get into the full color sets.

As a before after I converted my MS Paint map of Blackstone Ford from my Shadow of the Demon Lord game to Hex Kit in about an hour. Here's the before/after.

Nuts & Bolts #130 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #7

Kamandi Challenge #8 came out last week, but because of GenCon and general work business as well as #RPGaDay2017 I didn't have time to even read the issue until this past weekend. However, now I have and here's my thoughts. Spoilers henceforth.

Prior issue reviews:

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #6

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Dan Jurgens • Words: Marguerite Bennett

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




Everybody kosher? OK! When we last left Kamandi he was plummeting to his probable death in the fires of an atomic reactor within the city sized robot bear Mishkingrad. As he falls he realizes that he still holds the Cortex Crown of the city. Donning the crown he uses the power of the city to build a protective cage around himself and exit the reactor to save his friend Renzi.

Instead he gets grabbed up but some dog mutants calling themselves the Bulldog Britanneks who save both he and Renzi and escape the great bear before its apparent destruction. We learn that Renzi is an android (damn, would have been cooler if his atomic heart was cybernetic), and that the Britanneks have been raiding the Comuni-bears for some time. We also learn that the giant dirigible that they are traveling on was designed by Kamandi's mother. Before we can learn more something strikes the dirigible and downs it.

Stranded in the wastelands and under attack by an Ice Wizard and some Polar Parasites Kamandi and his companions make a desperate bid for survival. The parasites however breach their lines and break their defensive position. Fleeing from the tide of parasites and some of their own, now under parasitic control, Kamandi and the others return to the wreck of their ship. Kamandi realizes that the Control Crown will work with all the "salvage" from the wreck since was all once part of Mishkingrad.

Using the crown Kamandi is able to turn the tide and crush the the parasites and free the controlled dogs. Using the crap to build a new balloon the dogs depart Kamandi, leaving him with provisions and information. Kamandi, now on his own once more sets off south in a glider to try and find his mother, but one parasite had stowed away ...

This issue finally gave us a solid hint at where Kamandi may find his parents; fitting for the first issue in the back half of the year. Like every issue thus far it offered a fairly stand along adventure. Unfortunately the characters were fairly flat. There was little in the way of development for any one character and in the end it makes for a somewhat flat story. The pulpy action stories of the first half of the year were fine, but as the series gets older it's becoming a little less entertaining to see these isolated adventures. Here's hoping things begin to truly build toward a climax in December and not just stumble along until an end conveniently happens.

Setting-wise this issue did offer some more interesting developments. From the apparently magical Ice Wizards to the sci-fi hive mind parasites that can hijack a creature there was a decent amount of new additions to the world. Unfortunately I'd have liked a little more exposition about the Ice Wizards and their exile and even about the Britanneks and their home (since these stories are far too short to show much and must often give detail via exposition).

Overall it was decent, but one of my least favorite of the series thus far. If I weren't looking at the world building as well as story this would have been far far my least favorite from a story standpoint, feeling a bit rushed and overstuffed.

Rating: 70% - An OK story that did manage to forward the larger story in small steps.

Nuts & Bolts #128 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #6

Kamandi Challenge #6 is out today, so here are my thoughts on issue #5 from last month. Spoilers henceforth.

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #4
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #5

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Philip Tan • Words: Steve Orlando

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!




Where were we? ...oh, right, a vivisected Kamandi lying on a lab table with his chest cavity hollowed out. Damn ... and they don't spare the visuals either. Thankfully Raja manages to coerce the scientist to help find a cure using the very machine that Kamandi's organs were fed into. The device is able to concoct a treatment that will save Kamandi, and when he next wakes he is whole and hale. We skip ahead some days or weeks from there as Kamandi is traveling with a man named Renzi, an associate of Raja's.

The pair are in a hot air balloon and quickly run afoul of a commune of bear folk in the far north. Both are captured and Kamandi is taken to the Alpha of Alphas while Renzi is taken away because of the cyclo-heart he bears that is capable of creating immense power via fission. As it turns out the city is itself a vast robotic construct that lacks only a power source, and Renzi's cyclo-heart will become that power source.

Kamandi tries to sway the Alpha of Alphas to abandon the force communistic hive mind that he both serves and leads, and embrace free will so that they can escape. The boy almost succeeds but the weight of so many minds forces Groznovo to betray Kamani, leading him away from Renzi as his heart is used to power the mecha-city of Mishkingrad. Kamandi and Groznova come to blows and we get our cliffhanger as the communist bear tosses Kamandi to his seeming doom.

The art this issue is pretty great. No real complaints here in regards to the look and the ability to follow the panels. The resolution of the cliffhanger is well executed and feels genuine even as Kamandi is more or less forced to part ways from yet another companion. The main story however leaves me feeling a bit "meh." It's high on exposition with much of the story progression coming from Kamandi being told what's happening rather than doing it or experiencing it.

Worldbuilding is good though. We get a confirmation of modified humans, and a new society of bear folk. The idea of the communist bears is better than the execution though, and that's mostly the fault of the story. The massive mecha-city is the kind of thing you could build a campaign around as the PCs race to find the means to stop it, and that's always a good thing.

Overall I'd say it was a decent issue, but maybe the weakest of the stories thus far. Thankfully the art was nice including a few panels that seems laid out specifically to showcase some Kirby Crackle.

Rating: 80% - The resolution of the cliffhanger was great but the "A" story was only OK.

Nuts & Bolts #127 - Review: Adventure Writing Like a Fucking Boss

Yup.

Editor's Note, given the product title I'm not going to bother censoring myself this week. 

So, earlier this year I had a moment of realization. I came to see that while I'd been ignoring the written adventures of both yore and today I'd been missing out on learning design from other people's effort. It's not that I can't run a game, or write an adventure for myself, but going through the process of writing one for other people made me realize where I tended to say "fuck it" and just improvise. Not a bad thing, but not a great thing for published product.

So I've been looking at various bits of advice in this regard. The latest of which is "Adventure Writing Like A Fucking Boss" which is a title that really says something about the confidence level of the author...

Vitals
Published By: Kort'thalis Publishing • Written by: Venger As'Nas Satanis • 14 pages • $3.00 • Color PDF (with a print friendly option)

What's In It?

Advice that strips out most of the bullshit. Seriously, there's very little pretension here, which is a good thing. Hell, it's probably the best part of this product that it doesn't treat itself as being too far "above the reader." In what amounts to about 9 pages of text if you strip out the art, cover, and credits the author lays down the foundations of adventure writing. As a GM for decades there's not a lot here that's "new to me" but it's refreshing to see it all laid out and bare.

The content is broken out into fifteen sections ranging from about 3 paragraphs to a dozen or so. The author starts off by detailing why you may want to write your own adventures. OK, fair enough, but probably anybody who has gotten this far already made that choice. It then goes into the idea of the elevator pitch as a metric for good and bad ideas. This is pretty reasonable, if you cannot sum up an idea into 2-3 interesting sentences it's probably not an idea that will yield an interesting adventure. Or it's too much, and you need to consider breaking it up into smaller parts; perhaps your epic idea can become fodder for a series of adventures instead. From there we get some advice on finding your own writing style and trying to make the best of it. There are some words of wisdom here in regards to over-writing.

Next we get a discussion of the adventure rails. Ah, to railroad, or not to railroad, that is the question! Actually, no, screw that, NEVER railroad. But, to the author's point, knowing when to toss in "guardrails" to keep the adventure from going entirely ... ahem ... "off the rails" ... is wise. Players are ... unpredictable creatures, and having mitigating factors in place to help keep the session from going bananas is good. Most GMs simply cannot keep up improvising after a certain point without abandoning the original adventure, which sucks.

At this point we're on page four and getting into the meat. First we get "Anatomy of an Adventure" breaking down the basic (and classic) structure for storytelling. Then the author dives into scenes and starts discussing each component therein. The fact that adventures and scenes have the same basic structure is makes this all the more valuable.

From here out the product fires on all cylinders for me, right up until the last section, which just didn't float for me, but hey, that's cool, it's only one page. The writing keeps being punchy and direct, and breaks down how to build a scene up without getting overwrought. It's presents the idea of a "Trailer Test" to help prune scenes much in the way the Elevator Pitch helps prune out bad adventure ideas. This is just the fractal nature of things in my opinion.

After scenes we get a quick hit of the three most basic aspects of gaming (and storytelling) and how these should all be present in some form to make for a good session. Lastly there is some advice for "moments" or interludes, the stuff between scenes that adds color, as well as the idea of callbacks.

The layout if functional, the art is minimal (which is fine) and of a good quality, but I couldn't stand the full color version with these angry red veins rimming each page. It added nothing, and it detracted plenty. Thankfully there's a printer friendly version without that. I will say the cover is quality, and I imagine that's just good marketing to put an attractive eye catching cover onto any product. Duh.

Closing Thoughts

I'd say that if you're new to GMing, and new to writing up your own adventures this is a pretty damn good purchase for $3. If you've been at it a while it may make for a nice refresher course, and the clean and bullshit free presentation of the writing does help make this a nice reference or refresher. Will this make you a "fucking boss" at adventure writing? I'm not sure about that, but it sure as shit will help prevent you from making an ass of yourself. There's plenty more to writing good adventures than structure, but if you don't have good "bones" the flesh won't matter for shit.

Score: 85% - Pretty good for those wanting a refresher course or those who are new to adventure writing. Maybe not what you're looking for if you've been GMing for a while.

Nuts & Bolts #125 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #5

Nuts & Bolts #120 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #4

Kamandi Challenge #5 is out today, so here are my thoughts on issue #4 from last month. Spoilers henceforth.

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #3

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color • Art: Carlos D'anda • Words: James Tynion IV

What's In It?

Spoilers ahead folks last warning!



Where were we? ...oh, right, in the claws of a giant Kong sized cat!

Kamandi and Vila were in a bad place. Our plucky hero fought back as best he could against the giant cat, finally jumping down its throat... and waking inside it's control center! This was no giant mutant, but instead a cleverly disguised giant robot! While Kamandi managed to enter the robot unharmed Vila was less lucky and once again the protagonist had to come to the rescue.

Honestly I was a bit disappointed with this. Kamandi is the hero, I get that, but Vila as a character has been little more than a half century old damsel trope. The last issue Kamandi rescued her and freed her, and it was, relatively, OK because he clearly had the agency last issue. But now would have been a good opportunity to give Vila her own agency and instead ... not so much.

So instead Kamandi confronts the two cat-scientists, or are they cat scientists?, that control the robot. Long story short, he grabs Vila and climbs back out the mouth of the robot and into the cockpit of the jet the robot wears around its neck. Activating the jet Kamandi and Vila escape while also serving their captors a little comeuppance.

Kamandi blacks out and the plane crashes elsewhere, in a rocky desert by a massive wall. In short order Kamandi and the unconscious Vila (see what I mean about no agency?) are captured and revived by the Kanga Rat Murder Society. They are to become the next participants in a blood sport hunt somewhere in the ravaged post-apocalypse Australia...

OK, so let's break it down. The writing is pretty good aside from the whole issue with Vila being stereotypical rescue bait. The story of the two scientists and their giant robot was actually pretty good, and a great way out of the prior issue's cliffhanger without feeling like a dodge at all. The transition into the second half was less abrupt than in prior issues and the cliffhanger has me wanting issue #5 now, which is a good thing.

The art this issue is more to my liking, with a less cart kiddie cartoon style. I'm not objectively rating the art here (or in any of these) as I am no artist, but I know what I like and this is probably right behind Neal Adams' art in issue #2 for this series thus far.

Lastly we come to world building, because ultimately the setting is as much a character in this series as Kamandi or any other. We get, through the robot builders, a good bit of exposition and background about the Jaguar Sun Cult, and it quickly fills in that culture in a way I feel like we sadly did not get for the God Watchers last issue. We also get, through art and words a good amount of information about the Kanga Rat Murder Society. There's an interesting mention about the giant wall holding back something, and visually we get a strong sense that the Society has access to some very high levels of technology, which should hopefully prove very interesting next issue.

Rating: 85% - I dock 15% for a cliched lack of agency in the sole female character in an otherwise great issue.

Nuts & Bolts #116 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #3

Kamandi Challenge #4 is out today, so here are my thoughts on issue #3 from last month. Some spoilers henceforth.

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1
• Review: Kamandi Challenge #2

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color

What's In It?

OK, listen, if you're with me this far I'd like to think you're probably reading the Kamandi Challenge monthly as it comes out. If not you should probably just wait until December when I post my review of this 12 issue series as a whole. Regardless, spoilers ahead folks as I'm going to start talking about the plot a lot more....


.... seriously, we're going full spoiler here ....


... last warning!


Where were we? ...oh, right, falling!

At the end of the prior issue Kamandi found himself checking the post-apocalyptic gravity by falling/jumping off a cliff to avoid some bad guys. I say falling/jumping, because I'm genuinely not sure which is the case.

We pick up this issue with a bunch more anthropomorphic animals observing Kamandi's science experiment. A pair of rather large man-bats (not batmen to be seen here, move along) fly out to rescue Kamandi. We transition to Kamandi behind held inside a pre-apocalypse boat where a plant person joins him. Kamandi meets the captain, a turtle who seems to have knowledge of Kamandi and claims to be part of the "God Watchers".

These guys seem suspicious, which only gets worse when it turns out that the plant people are treated as a sentient salad come dinner time. Ouch. An attack from the non-friendly man-bat tribe sends our hero to the island of the Jaguar Sun Cult, because that's the kind of pacing these books have. In short order Kamandi and his planty girl Friday are captured and offered up as dinner for a Kong sized kitty....

OK, so did I enjoy this issue? Yes ... but, I kind of wish there was a little more room given to actually explore the parts of the world we visit with some more detail. The pacing of the story is so fast that at times things are more teasing than I would like. Still, one cannot fault the creative team(s) for trying to hit as much of the world as possible.

The world building here is an exercise in masterful execution of minimalism. We get so very little of the savage bat tribes, and yet what we gain is enough to give us a strong impression of them; more than enough that I could use them in a game I feel.

The God Watchers are a little less developed, they seem to be intentionally mysterious. They have technology to create sapient plants, they have intelligent insects (bees and manti) working for them, and they seem to have knowledge of Kamandi, including a picture of him with his parents. I'm doubtful we'll get more, but I kinda wish we would.

The jaguar folk are savage and either keepers or, or kept by, the aforementioned Kong-sized jaguar. Since this is a cliffhanger situation we could gain more from the next issue, but given the resolution of the past two I wonder if we'll instead be whisked away to a new part of the world.

The pacing of this issue is a little rough. The first two issues felt like a contiguous story, but this one moved so quickly between scenes and settings that it felt a bit disjointed. The resolution of the cliffhanger from last issue was better though, and felt a little less dodgy than gorillas jumping out of an old nuke, so props to the writer (Jimmy Palmiotti) on that one. This issue's art (by Amanda Conner) was a step down in my opinion, with a simpler feel and look. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my preference either.

Rating: 70% - A look that didn't appeal and an overly ambitious pacing left me wanting

Nuts & Bolts #113 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #2

Issue #2 Cover

Kamandi Challenge #3 is out today, so here are my thoughts on issue #2 from last month. Minimal spoilers.

• Review: Kamandi Challenge #1

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 31 pages • $3.99 • full color

What's In It?

Warning: mild spoilers ahead! Or maybe picante spoilers. I'd suggest you read #1 if you plan to and then come back ... we'll wait ...

OK...

So the whole point of coming back for #2 is to see how February's creative team would fish Kamandi's butt from the fire. The nuclear fire, if the cliffhanger at the end of issue #1, was to be believed. The resolution of that cliffhanger takes a significant chunk of the story and ultimately drives the direction of this issue's cliffhanger.

About that though. While the resolution of the cliffhanger is well orchestrated and in keeping with what I know of the classic series it feels a bit like a dodge. Less a resolution of the cliffhanger and more an alteration of the cliffhanger's stakes. It works but part of me feels a little cheated. The fact that the prior author's plan (as explained in his letter at the end of the issue) is closer to what I expected (ish) only adds to that feeling.

Still, the dodge also throws off the hero's footing and pushes the action toward an Easter egg and interesting direction change for the series. Given the breadth of Kamandi's world and the limited nature of this series it's gratifying to see that they are apparently making efforts to explore the setting as much as possible. Again, it does feel a little like a dodge on previous issue's ... issues ... *ugh* sorry, but if I had to choose from a semi-forced means of seeing more of Earth A.D. or only seeing a small portion of it in greater detail I'd choose the former. If nothing comes of this series after its 12 issue run I want to see as much of the world as possible. If DC decides that this was successful enough to re-launch Kamandi as an unlimited series there will be more than enough time to explore specific parts of the world in greater detail there.

As for this issue as an RPG resource? There's plenty of new stuff introduced into this issue for a GM to pull into a game. From new (and old) enemies, to crazy artifacts, and post apocalyptic vistas, if you can't find some inspiration here for a game you probably aren't looking hard enough.

Rating: 90% - The art this issue is fantastic and the story is pretty fun, even if it feels a bit like a dodge. 

Nuts & Bolts #109 - Review: Kamandi Challenge #1

Issue #1 standard cover, art by Bruce Timm

Vitals

Published By: DC Comics • 43 pages • $4.99 • full color

What's In It?

The return of the last boy on Earth!

I don't usually read comics. The only title I have ever bought as a monthly is Saga (more on that in a future blog post), but I decided to make an exception and buy a copy of Kamandi Challenge #1. A little history: Kamandi was created by the great Jack Kirby and over the years DC has more or less refused to let anybody into the playground since the 1970 after the title's initial run ceased. 2017 is Mr. Kirby's 100's birthday and so DC decided to finally let the post apocalyptic character return.

The "challenge" part is what made me decide no to wait until this inevitably got re-released as a trade. See because so many creators have asked DC to write or draw Kamandi over the years (and DC always said no) they decided to take an unconventional approach to bringing back this title. Each month a separate creative team of writer(s) and artist(s) will pick up the story from the cliffhanger left by the previous creative team. They have to resolve the cliffhanger and then tell the next part of the story and leave a new cliffhanger for the next team's month. It means that over the course of the next 12 months we'll probably get one wild ride, but it also means this limited series should be really fun too.

Warning: mild spoilers ahead!

Issue #1 has a prologue written by Dan DiDio (who also acts as overseeing editor) and drawn by Keith Griffen with the main story (picking up on the prologue's cliffhanger) written by Dan Abnett and drawn by Dale Eaglesham. I'm unfamiliar with either artist, but I at least recognize the names of the writers. The issue introduces us to Kamandi (a name he gets from his home in the Command D bunker) and starts to show us Kamandi's world populated by mutant animals and ruled over by a kingdom of tigers. Much like planet of the apes man is considered an animal while the animals are anthropomorphic and intelligent (though far more varied than just apes).

I grabbed this for three reasons. Firstly it just seemed like it could be a fun limited series. Secondly I love post apocalypse stories & worlds. Thirdly between my early days playing the TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG and After The Bomb (the post apocalyptic version of the same) and the upcoming release of Mutant Crawl Classics RPG I thought that reading this series would be both nostalgic and inspiring.

In all three respects this was a worthwhile purchase. The promise of the second issue resolving the crazy cliffhanger from this issue will probably make me buy into that as well. I think the biggest risk will be the changing artist and writer each month, which could be either boon or bane. As inspiration for RPGs I'd say they're off to a good start; this issue was mostly split between character introduction and world building. The evocative art certainly gives me some ideas, as does the mish-mash of tech used by the characters.

I'm no expert on comics, but I know I enjoyed this and that it made me eager to pick up the second issue. I'd say it's worth the price of admission and then some, at least for what I was hoping to get out of it.

Rating: 100% - great art and a good start for this series, at least in my opinion

Nuts & Bolts #105 - Review: How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck

Get it now from DriveThruRPG

Firstly, let me state as clearly as possible that this review is for the currently released 28 page version of How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck, and should not be confused for a review of some kind of leaked or previewed version of the forthcoming 160 page How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck that is currently on Kickstarter. I've been told that aside from the title and the subject the old and new versions don't share any text. I can't verify this at the moment, but let's go forward with that as gospel.

Back the new edition on Kickstarter

Now, all of that said, my intent in reviewing this was, in part, to get an idea of what to expect with with KS edition, and determine if I wanted to toss my hat into that proverbial ring. I'm somewhat, invested into Kickstarters and trying to back the monetary value of my outstanding pledges to something a bit more manageable you see, but Goodman Games puts out some good stuff, and so I want to make sure I don't dismiss this out of hand either. Ergo, a review of the original version.

Note: This is not DCC exclusive advice. It really can apply to ANY and ALL RPGs. 

Vitals

Published By: Goodman Games • 28 pages • $6.99 • B&W PDF

What's In It?

Nine articles by Joseph Goodman, Chris Doyle, Brendan LaSalle, Adrian Pommier, Rick Maffei, Mike Ferguson, Jeremy Simmons, Ken Hart, and Andrew Hind, that are written for GMs and writers working on adventure design. Each article broadly covers a different subject, from how to get the most out of puzzles or villains, to the importance of writing for your audience and proofreading.

I went into this as both a GM who is always looking for solid advice, and as a writer who has two adventures published at this point and is trying to understand how to make my next even better. I got my $7 worth for sure. Every article had something useful to take away. Something that had never occurred to me, or that having pointed out plainly made me look back and see how I could have done something different in an adventure I wrote that would have improved it.

I think that the stand out articles for me were the following:

• Things I Look For by Joseph Goodman
• This is more a bulleted list from a publisher, but it was eye opening to understand how a publisher who has hundreds of adventure modules in print looks at things. It also made me see at the highest level how to attack the "problem" of adventure design.
• Designing Planar Adventures That Don’t Suck by Andrew Hind
• I'm guessing that could easily be the title of it's own book, but as a short essay it still managed to convey the importance of setting your scale and scale for inter-planar adventures appropriately. 
• Villains by Rick Maffei
• You'd think that after 20+ years of GMing I'd know a thing or three about villains, and yet I was struck at how obvious and yet unknown to me the idea of contrasting sub-bosses was until I read it. Oy, how I could have made my Gods of the Fall adventure "Thirst" even better!
• Verisimilitude by Adrian Pommier
• I've written my own thoughts about this issue before, but usually from a specific subject base standpoint. This essay goes toward a more general all-encompassing approach and it works. It makes an argument for applying some simple logic rules to designing your adventures and encounters and even your dungeons. 

Closing Thoughts

Overall this little PDF really impressed me. More than once I wished I had read it a year ago. More than once I read something and found myself realizing that I'd made poor design choices in the past. I got something out of each of the nine articles and I suspect that most people will. Even if you just write for your own use at the game table I think you'll find some useful advice in here, and if your desire is to write for publishing this is one heck of a $7 investment in my opinion.

Look at this also convinced me to kick in for the Kickstarter edition, which is probably all the review that it really needs. The $25 bucks for a 160 page version of this with all new content seems like a no-brainer investment. I doubt I'll ever be hailed as a great writer of modules, and I'll almost certainly never be able to quit my day job, but if I get even half of the "revelation per page" density out of the KS edition I'll still be justified in my backing it.

Score: 100% - I almost never give perfect scores, but there is literally a wealth of advice in here if you are open to finding it.