#module reviews

[theteaisaddictive]

the b in lgbt stands for BIGOT

[cmncbp]

Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich 1E: The Worst Piece of AI Garbage I Have Seen Ever In My Entire Life

I hate this module. It is an insult to me, you, two hundred and sixty-seven kickstarter backers, the classics the module means to pay homage to, and the author's cat.

Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich 1E alleges both that it is made for levels 8-12 in the OSRIC system, and that it is written by Mark Taormino of Dark Wizard Games. It was funded via Kickstarter alongside Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One, and together they drew in a budget of 14,158 USD.

I do not think any of the backers have actually read the module, since nobody has cursed out the author in the comments, but they may very well have flipped through it - the book looks nice in terms of layout, and it is full of nostalgic black-and-white art, which the author has commissioned or requested permission to use.

The credits list artists Felipe Faria, LC Frietas, Carlos Castilho, Jacob Blackmon, Francesco Accordi, Phil Stone, and Dean Spencer, and additionally someone called Justin Davis, who does not appear to have a significant online presence.

At least one among them appears to be an AI artist. They have provided this image of a fletched sword hilt (top left) and a four foot tall elf with spider pedipalps for a chin (top right).

There are a few other pictures that are also clearly AI-made, but none of them are signed. One wonders if Mark Taormino is aware that he has been given AI art, or if he is himself being cheated in turn, in a great circle of AI grifting.

The module opens with several pages of padded backstory. I believe it may be partially handwritten, because it is pretty goofy, or at least the earlier parts may have felt an editor's touch after the AI spat it out.

A long time ago there was a pharaoh with three sons. Then his wife cheated on him and had a bastard son, Ankhen-Hotep, with an evil warrior in the pharaoh's service.

"Ankhen-Hotep, my son, why are you so fine and muscular and very handsome with an unusual hint of underlying evil, and not at all disgusting, lazy and ugly like your brothers and I?"

Ankhen-Hotep kills his entire family and becomes a cruel pharaoh, somehow worse than the dynasty of indolent scumbags that apparently preceded him. Then he becomes a lich and builds a big evil tomb. Unfortunately, due to some undefined dark pact shenanigans, he can't leave the tomb until someone releases him with the power of love (?). You'd think the evil gods who make people into liches would want them running around and doing evil, but that is not so.

A thousand years later, an earthquake reveals part of the tomb, and sorceress-queen Neferkhet, who happens to be the biggest forgotten evil kings fan the lineage has ever known, comes to investigate. This is where the text very clearly breaks down.

Queen Neferkhet goes to the ruins, digs out the ruins, seals the ruins away, kills everyone involved, seemingly forgets the ruins existed, rediscovers the ruins (now half-buried again) and is completely awestruck. She claims she knew whose tomb it was at once, but I guess she went home after figuring it out to bring her friends and make a big show of pretending to recognize it.

Neferkhet looks at the murals in the tomb and learns the story of Ankhen-Hotep (I guess she didn't pay much attention in her studies), and she sympathizes so much with his tragic past that she falls in love and decides to revive him. The murals that tell this story are not actually shown anywhere in the adventure, so she might have made them up.

I suppose these must be the seals she set up herself, the first time she found the tomb? Or is Ankhen-Hotep just not interested in being woken up?

Regardless, she casts a spell that shatters Ankhen-Hotep's sarcophagus (which is still intact later), and they fall in love, and they build a big undead army, and together they ravage the countryside to gather souls which they intend to use to make Ankhen-Hotep young and sexy again. Oh no! Someone better stop them!

This is where the PCs come in. Despite the backstory making it sound like the villain duo is pretty active in the surrounding lands, there are no encounters outside the dungeon. Let's step inside.

The first room is a false entrance, which can be found by examining the base of a jackal-headed sphinx, located some distance away from the pyramid that holds the true tomb.

This is also where Mark Taormino has given up even pretending that the text isn't written by AI.

If you don't want to read it, I don't blame you.

The text believes the room is inside of the pyramid, it can't decide whether the trap in the room is that the floor opens into a pit of spikes or that the walls close in to crush the party, it suggests breaking the floor into the pit of spikes as a means of escape, it throws out incorrect trap mechanics (OSRIC thieves have 21%+4% per level in find traps) that don't need to be mentioned in the first place, mixes in some 5e terminology, proposes a "2-in-6 chance on a Wisdom check", whatever that means, details how the trap activates no less than three times (though the details are different each time), and mysteriously suggests that the GM "may allow a history check if relevant". Who even knows!

I don't think a single person in the world has actually read this text before you and I did. Every single room description in the book is the same style of self-contradictory word salad.

You may be wondering how that undead army Neferkhet and Ankhen-Hotep are making is coming along. There are five undead encounters in the module:

1d4 wandering skeletons

1d6 wandering zombies

1 large size mummy, though actually, the room it is in is called "false mummy and treasure room" and the mummy attacks with "stone fists", so I suppose this is not a mummy at all, but a bandaged golem of some kind

Ankhen-Hotep

20 toothless mummies, which the text calls skeletons until it posts their statblock, stuck in a pit:

Suffice to say, it's not looking good. They're not even evil. No wonder the villains tried to hide them away in a pit.

There are still a few signs of human activity in the text in the book, such as in the randomly scattered glaring typos: "Jackle", "Anubus", "Ressurection", "Wonderous". Whether these were intentionally planted in some eight-year-old's attempt to disguise the use of AI, or are leftovers from the author's typo'd prompts, I cannot say.

I also sense the presence of the author in the gleeful addition of acid traps melting your players' dicks off, since this is typically something an AI is forbidden from even thinking:

This idea appears to have excited him so much he also added it to the mechanical gears trap:

Otherwise, Mark has a particular hangup with the idea of "GM's discretion." He has pasted this into the text in about a dozen different locations, and treats it as the ultimate editorial spice and duct tape which can answer any question and improve any text. Eventually, he begins invoking it like some sort of mystic, sentence-final mantra.

Meow!

Did that last one catch your interest? This amusing kitty is actually Mark's own cat, Merlin, that sadly passed away during the Roman occupation of Egypt.

I would say I can't imagine what kind of person would think to dedicate a kickstarter scam to a once-beloved pet, but I suppose the guy who makes dick-melting acid traps would be the one.

I'm sure I will enjoy "reading and playing" the module exactly as much as Mark enjoyed "writing" it.

Final Score: AI Level: Disgusting Table Usability: Zero Layout: OK

[legionofmyth]

Star Wars The Roleplaying Game by West End Games

🌌 Ready to embark on epic adventures in a galaxy far, far away? ✨ Dive into Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games! Experience thrilling space battles, iconic characters, and the rich lore of the Star Wars universe. May the Force be with you! #StarWarsRPG #TabletopGaming #RoleplayingGames #StarWars

Star Wars The Roleplaying Game by West End Games What is it? Star Wars The Roleplaying Game (WEG) Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, published by West End Games, is a tabletop role-playing game set in the iconic Star Wars universe. Released in 1987, the game allows players to immerse themselves in the rich lore of the Star Wars galaxy, taking on the roles of Jedi, smugglers, rebels, and other…

[1-50thofabuck]

Review of "Hamlet of Volage," Adventure Module V1 from BRW Games for Adventures Dark and Deep.

I love printed gaming materials. I adore published modules that have a distinct old-school look. If I see such modules being offered, I generally purchase them, for my own collection and to support small publishers. They usually don't cost too much.

Modules with witches, fae, conspiracies and/or cults are another selling point for me.

Case in point: I purchased each of the V series modules by BRW games before they were published in print, so I got each as a PDF with the printed book to be sent later when completed. The stories revolve around different covens of witches, existing in secret(naturally) and warring among themselves.

Take the incredibly small hamlet of Volage. At least one coven exists here, most of them living normal, public lives, while members of other covens either live within, or visit frequently, to keep tabs, act as spies and everything you'd expect of such a scenario.

As I'm running this module for a system that we're play testing for publication by Penny Thought Exchange, and this happens to be an anthro based system based loosely on our Steal This Game! public domain engine, I ran the module as "The Hamlet of Vole Lodge: The Haunting of Pell House." None of these kinds of changes affected the module's play too much. Since characters are animal based, they do have access to abilities that run of the mill PCs in other games might not, but we try to balance these abilities as a part of character creation. Also, the NPCs, including the baddies, get these also, so it levels out. Otherwise, it's largely cosmetic, as NPCs are assigned an animal type and fitting description.

Because the module has so many NPCs and information on the town, I printed these out and affixed them to standard paper sized cardboard for quick reference. It also made it easier to track my own additions, such as what animal types the various NPCs are.

All that said to prepare for the review proper, I have to give one last bit of insight. I was running for a very small group, and certain among them are known to get frustrated quickly if leads and clues aren't given to them easily or frequently enough. Thus, I'm not sure in certain places where the problem may lay with the module or with the sensibilities of certain individuals, though in at least one case the problem is certainly the module's, as I will describe as we continue.

Within a day or so in the hamlet, there was already grumbling that nothing was turning up of any real interest. Most of the supernatural occurences, as the PCs felt, were rather mundane, unprovable, or non sequitur to their investigations. Blankets getting bedbugs and such seemed normal enough. Sheep being attacked by wolves and then vanishing is a bit odd, but not enough to jump to suspicions of witchcraft, and seemingly not enough to investigate at any rate. The module itself didn't suggest or describe any methods of doing so or anything learned if PCs did, but it wasn't relevant since they were disinterested in doing so. Every cat being found dead was more mystifying but another case of "what are we supposed to do about it?" People getting sick, people falling off ladders, all seemed like a typical string of unfortunate but not distinctly magical occurances.

They decided to spend the night in the cemetery, where only one random event took place, a weird fog or mist which I tried to play up as much as I could. When all was said and done, however, it was more of the same: "Weird, but nothing we can learn anything from and seemingly unrelated."

The group decided that after another day or so if they didn't come across something of more interest they were going to bail. I still had two more modules and they were ready to quit before getting more than a day into the first. I ended up throwing in a clue not in the module to keep them in, though I regretted throwing bones like that simply because the PCs became disinterested. Still, I really wanted to continue the module, so I did so. To some degree, two of them, but the details of those aren't very important.

They decided to keep an eye on some of the young ones of the hamlet who had been rumored to run off into the woods some nights, and follow them.

Around this time, I decided to look into the next module. It shouldn't be necessary. Each were published at different times, and are supposed to be playable independently. Yet the second module gives details of great importance: the way the Pell family is butchered. V1 simply says they were killed violently. The second reveals that the attack has the hallmarks of an animal attack, yet they got into the house at night, somehow, and left without being seen. Now that gives some serious indication of some supernatural going's on. Too bad V1 decided we didn't need to know!

After telling the players about this new info, they became much more convinced of supernatural tomfoolery, but still felt about the same as they did - follow the young ones next time they run off, if that doesn't lead to anything, we leave.

I don't believe the module tells you what night the young witches go to their esbat, but an NPC suggested the night of the new moon, so the PCs kept special notice that night. One of the bones I threw in to keep the adventure going.

In the end, they got noticed while trailing the girls, but the witches pretended not to notice. They completed their esbat, getting new familiars and other boons before revealing their awareness of the PCs.

The battle didn't last long. The PCs got destroyed. However, it was a small group, and my suggestions of getting retainers and mercenaries to boost their numbers fell on deaf ears. I do not fault the module for their loss whatsoever.

At the moment, I'm running my own revision of an old adventure I wrote(I shared a little taster of it a bit ago), but afterwards, I hope to jump to V2 and see how that one goes. If it works out well, on to V3, or perhaps my sequel idea to the module I'm rewriting now, and then V3. If V2 goes poorly, I suspect I will abandon the series and leave them to look pretty on my shelf.

If you like OSR adventure modules, despite my less than stellar success, you can't go too wrong for a $4 PDF. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/373537/Adventure-Module-V1--The-Hamlet-of-Volage

Addendum: While looking for a quick cover image to put at the beginning of the review, I came across tenfootpole's review. I often agree, sometimes strongly disagree, but generally find their reviews entertaining either way. Looking to see if they hailed it as a masterpiece and realize I'm a big dummy, oh boy did they not find it impressive. Strong language warning for those sensitive to that kinda thing. Their agreement does not make me right, but I'm gratified that at least it wasn't just me who was kind of bewildered by a lot of the adventure.

[ustalav]

“why is published content so popular in pf vs dnd”

Bc wotc sucks at putting out quality modules consistently and paizo doesn’t. Next question.

[anthonypanics]

While I don't think it should be necessary to read the length of a novel as a requirement to run a setting, taking time to read through a module is very useful.

[daforged]

*looking between cards that say “therapy” and “school” with increasingly rapid glances* having more letters after my name will fix me

[jeffs-gamebox]

Check out an adventure based on the 5th of November. Anyone remember the famous line quoted in V for Vendetta? This is a D&D 5E compatible adventure based on the British Bonfire night. Long live the Mayor of Black Tallon!

[scientistknife]

I tell myself through gritted teeth that this OSHA training is important and valuable as it forces me to wait 20 minutes before taking an exam.

[legionofmyth]

Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games

🎲 Looking for an RPG that brings back the thrill of old-school dungeon crawling with a modern twist? Discover Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games! Dive into epic adventures, face deadly challenges, and uncover powerful magic. Perfect for both new players and veteran gamers. #DungeonCrawlClassics #TTRPG #TabletopGaming #OldSchoolRPG #FantasyGaming

Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games What is it? Dungeon Crawl Classics Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) by Goodman Games is a tabletop role-playing game that combines old-school dungeon crawling with modern mechanics. Set in a fantastical world filled with dangerous dungeons, powerful magic, and deadly monsters, DCC harkens back to the early days of RPGs, emphasizing exploration, combat, and the…

[manasastuff-blog]

The Best Army Training Center in Vizag#trending#viral

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Call: 7799799221

Website:www.manasadefenceacademy.com

#BestArmyTrainingIndia #ManasaDefenceAcademy #ArmyTrainingCentreIndia #TopDefenceAcademy #MilitaryTrainingIndia #ArmyCareer #BestArmyAcademy #IndianArmyTraining #DefenceAcademyReview #StudentSuccessArmy#trending#viral

[doomboogie]

Catty mean tabletop talk about a particular space horror darling /

The recent negative review of Mothership going around is such a good thing. Dwiz is braver than any marine, and still had to regularly insist that he had fun!! Really!! Promise!! I’m anxious for this 5 year old honeymoon period to wear off so people can actually critique the damn game

The ttrpg scene - especially the osr/nsr scene - gets so fixated on darlings that anyone with an opinion that isn’t 100% dicksucking praise is deemed an idiot moron who doesn’t know shit and it’s so childish!

And Mothership has had the scene by the throat for years now. Back in 2020 i decided not to back the KS because “it’ll be out next year I’ll get it then.” Lol. Lmao.

It’s been tiresome to see a mediocre ruleset hailed as some divine gift. A good GM can make an underwhelming game interesting, good players can, modules can. I’ve never felt this applies so much as to the Panic Engine and MoSh specifically. People really will get distracted by pretty design, neat setting bits, and interesting supplements and think the game itself is good for it

[songforaname]

i do need to do laundry, but this youtube video titled "getting started with video synthesis" is enticing

[hellobeccabetty]

What is Grad Writing - Module 3 #writ671mu

Here is my opening paragraph and a brief plan for my essay - let me know what you think!!

Graduate writing takes place in a liminal space. It’s liminality is derived from the synchronous act of existing in the past, present, and future of the writer. While this may be true of all writing, graduate writing seeks an acute awareness of this temporal coexistence through discussions of pedagogy and skills that look at metacognition. This paper delves into the three levels of temporal existence in graduate writing and what they mean as a synchronous whole to create a definition of graduate writing that centers the experiential nature of graduate writing. As such, this graduate writing can be seen as an expanding horizon of disciplinary knowledge that recognizes and applies diverse methods and frameworks on multiple levels of audience familiarity with a distinct awareness of the processes and ideologies that go into this work.

To more fully understand this definition of graduate writing, here is my basis for a definition of writing itself. Writing is an iterative process of organizing, construction, and assessing knowledge utilizing representational symbols with distinct forms that are built upon cultural and social traditions.

Brief Plan:

Past

               Reflection/Metacognition, Portfolio

Present

               New and exciting work, texts, media, forms, experiences (conferences, events,              speakers)

Future

               Professional development

               Conscious multiplicity of production

Temporal Integration/Conclusion

               Making peace with the knowledge that there is so much more to know

               Building and maintaining webs of knowledge and connection

               Addressing imposter syndrome

[theaffiliatemen]

SPEECHELO REVIEW || Transform Any Text into a 100% Human-Sounding Voiceo...