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Referee's Briefing 3: Going Portside
Publisher: Mongoose
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/30/2019 10:00:57

Pros: useful, makes you think, unique naval/space take on familiar concepts.

Cons: $6 for 15 useful pages, some entries bland.

To give some background for the review: I read "Referee's Briefing 3: Going Portside" in one day on my tablet, and it is still fresh in my memory. I got it because I was looking for a pdf-only supplement for Mongoose Traveller 2E (New Traveller) while I am waiting for a discount on some physical books I want to get. My experience with Traveller is limited to the New Traveller: I have read the Starter Set, Companion, and High Guard so far.

This supplement promises "a miscellany of things to do and places to visit that are both interesting and memorable." That it does. Most entries either make you think about common pastimes in unusual (space/naval) context, or give you interesting bits of lore that make the locations come alive, or give the Referee little hooks on which to hang their adventures. The last one is a far fetch from full-blown adventure seeds, but it helps the Referee to start thinking.

With that said, some entries are just bland. One entry even tries to turn the blandness into a joke, but I would say it is not very successful at that. However, dull entries are in the minority.

The supplement consists of four chapters:

  1. PORTSIDE FEATURES. This chapter gives you an overview of what to expect in a spaceport and makes you think about its environment and surroundings. It also has stats for a robot, which most likely require the rules from Central Supply Catalogue.
  2. HOTELS, BARS AND RESTAURANTS. This chapter gives you a brief explanation of the role of these establishments in a Traveller's life and a list of nine entries. In my opinion, the forte of this chapter is not in the list of brands to drop into your game, but the background lore they tell you, such as naval-themed drinks.
  3. RETAILERS, MERCHANTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS. This chapter humanizes the "shopping interface" of the game. This may be helpful for a referee who wants to spend more table time on, well, shopping. The chapter also has a couple of vendors who look more like plot hooks and a little bit of background lore. Personally, I do not think it is great as the plot hooks are underdeveloped and the lore does not quite feel right, but it is subjective. The chapter is still pretty robust.
  4. RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND PLACES TO VISIT. This chapter made me go "neat, why didn't I think of that" a couple of times. Most of the locations (in a fairly broad sense) in this chapter can serve as unique backdrops for various missions. Some sites are a bit too vague or not as readily usable, but overall this chapter is excellent.

Overall, an entertaining read with a lot of neat ideas. I would recommend it even if you think that you can come up with various locations and things to do on your own. This supplement is more than a list of those things - it jogs the creative machine quite a bit and makes you think. If anyone has any questions about this review or the supplement though, leave a comment in the discussions tab, and I will try to respond.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Referee's Briefing 3: Going Portside
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5E Mini-Dungeon #053: Ne'er Trust The White Wolf's Tameness
Publisher: AAW Games
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/02/2018 10:25:40

This is just a murderhallway with no space for meaningful choices. Kill the monsters, avoid the traps - all with no crossroads. And some parts don't even make sense - the last rooms don't explain how to exit the dungeon properly or what the NPCs are doing there.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
5E Mini-Dungeon #053: Ne'er Trust The White Wolf's Tameness
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5E Mini-Dungeon #024: The Lapis Maiden of Serena Hortum
Publisher: AAW Games
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/02/2018 10:22:55

Mediocre. There is some story to this mini-adventure and a clever basilisk-related idea, but the dungeon itself makes no sense. There are no servant's quarters, no barracks for the guards - it is just a glorified office with a bed.

A paragraph adding a servant's wing and a dining room would make this better - otherwise this is just a hallway with guards.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
5E Mini-Dungeon #024: The Lapis Maiden of Serena Hortum
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Shadowrun: Forbidden Arcana (Advanced Magic Rulebook)
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/28/2017 10:30:23

This is a great book. It might be one of the best SR5 books as of late.

The book does have its flaws. There are typos and editing errors, and some of the mechanics are broken as-written. Some of the rules are ambiguos. This is why I rate the book 4/5.

However, those are relatively minor complaints - the book as a whole is tremendously informative and extremely fun to read. I really enjoyed reading it, and the piece about the bridge in the astral literally gave me goosebumps. Phenomenal writing.

Even if you have a bone to pick with the rules and magic in SR5, the book is worth it just for the flavor text. And I actually like a lot of the rules in this book too.

SR5 authors! If you are reading this - please do not be discouraged by some of the hate on the reddit and forums. It is a good book. Just please pay a little more attention to the rules.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Shadowrun: Forbidden Arcana (Advanced Magic Rulebook)
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Shadowrun: Serrated Edge (Denver Adventure 1)
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/13/2017 09:20:38

So good! I cannot recommend this enough. This is probably my new favorite SR5 adventure.

It gives you everything to run a truly dark, difficult, and engaging game. The plot is well-structured, the decisions the team has to make have actual dramatic weight attached to them, and the players have to think and plan to succeed. The adventure also shows just how dark and ruthless the Sixth World is. Love it!

It is not without flaws, of course. The pay for most of the runs is weirdly low. The specific scenes are poorly organized - you have to read the whole scene before it starts to make sense. The Matrix part is written by someone stuck in the previous edition. But those are all really easy to fix.

P.S. I have not run it yet, so I may need to adjust the review after I am done with this adventure.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Shadowrun: Serrated Edge (Denver Adventure 1)
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Shadowrun: Battle of Manhattan (Boardroom Backstabs)
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
by Mikhail M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/11/2017 10:15:36

Oh, boy... I am a fan of Shadowrun. I love Shadowrun products and don't mind typos and errors - the products are usually amazing despite all that. But this. This adventure is flat out terrible.

I was looking for an adventure to run for a new group I assembled. I can't prepare my own adventures as I have very little prep time available, but my experience with other Shadowrun adventures has been great before this one - so I decided to buy the Battle of Manhattan.

Well, this adventure requires so much prep time (or on the fly improvisation) that it pretty much defeats the purpose of buying an adventure. A ton of things are omitted or left up to the GM. Some things are not explained, like how Shadowrunners smuggle their gear on a flight to the Rotten Apple. Or why anybody wanted to hire outsiders anyway. Then there are maps with doors and stairways missing.

There are some OK ideas in this, but the adventure is a mess. I am probably going to use some of the NPC stats in my other games, which is why I give it 2 stars.

But if you are looking for a good adventure with cohesive plot that is explained well and that doesn't require a ton of preparation - just buy Splintered State.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Shadowrun: Battle of Manhattan (Boardroom Backstabs)
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Vending Machines 3D paper scenery
Publisher: Mega Miniatures
by Mike M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2011 03:19:10

Good job, Mega Miniatures! I use such paper models in Pen&Paper gaming and find them extremely useful. Likes:

  • For only half a buck you get 2 pieces of scenery, which make your "gaming landscape" a lot more believable. Devil is in the details - without such small additions everything on the table looks bleak and boring.
  • You can use these machines as an impromptu barricades or smth like that: these paper miniatures have a bottom and look OK on the back (the one with soda even has a 3D cooler on the back.
  • Easy to assemble! No, really.

Dislikes:

  • The quality is not that good and the bottom of each machine is just black
  • Not that much in the way of customisation: every soda machine on your table is gonna be "popsi" :)


Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Vending Machines 3D paper scenery
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Zombie Death Town
Publisher: Rarr! I'm A Monster Publishing
by Mike M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/18/2011 14:30:58

Even though this product costs only 2 bucks it is totally not worth spending your money on. There is no real RP experience involved, just a kindergarten-level combat system and a plot without proper ending. The sole reason I give this "game" 2 stars is that it has a bunch of decent jokes in it and it is about zombies. Everything is better with zombies, right?)



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
Zombie Death Town
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