WHAT WORKS: Pretty much an indispensible resource for running any high school era Smallville game, not just for one actually set at Smallville high. If there is a group or department that they failed to put in the book, they gave enough examples to work it out yourself. They tossed enough cute "yearbook" touches in to get their point across, but kept it from getting annoying.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Not much, really. Top notch production values, affordable price (the $15 PDF is half off of the $30 book, which is impressive for a full color, licensed sourcebook). There aren't a lot of complaints that are actually relevant to the book (if you gripe about the High School focus, for instance, that's kinda silly given what the book IS).

CONCLUSION: You probably have some idea as to whether or not Smallville is a game you'll like or not, and if you don't, then this book isn't going to convince you otherwise. It is a nicely done take on high school storytelling in general, so you could well get some use out of it even if you're running, say, a Mutants & Masterminds high school game or even a Buffy game still set in high school. Now, if you're into the Smallville RPG and only have an interest in the "adult years", I can't give this a glowing recommendation (due to content, not presentation), but they have a whole book designed for that coming soon. Great work, must-buy for Smallville High School Games.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/05/tommys-take-on-smallville-high-school.html

WHAT WORKS: As with Blood Moon Rising, the author does a great job of believably putting lower level characters in a situation where they would seem to be completely out of their depth, but fit them into the situation in a completely believable way. The PCs aren't expected to kill a dragon...just whip its followers and deal with the dragon when it comes back in a few levels. As usual, there's plenty of material here for you $5.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: If you're like me and not a Labyrinth Lord guy, this one isn't as easily adaptable as the author's previous two adventures to another system. Not saying it can't be done, mind you, there's just a wider variety of monsters and such that would need to be reworked.

CONCLUSION: Small Niche Games makes the kinds of adventures I would like to play (or run) if I still played (or ran) D&D. I don't know how that stacks up with the "old school" mentality of Labyrinth Lord, but I am continually pleased with both the concepts and executions of their adventures.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/05/tommys-take-on-pyramid-of-dragon.html

What Works: I don't know if it is quite indispensible, but it is certainly very useful for the Masterbook GM, especially the Spell creation guidelines and examples. The Advantages also stand out, especially for someone wanting kewl powerz for their game. While I doubt I could see myself using it for a full blown supers game, power options for another genre are always a good thing. The World Creation Chapter and the Cross-Genre chapters are very extensive and advice-heavy.

What Doesn't Work: A bestiary still feels like it is missing. Sure, they may be in setting books (I don't know), but someone who picks up Masterbook and the Companion are kind of left figuring it out for themselves. Also, I appreciate the comprehensiveness of the Vehicular Combat chapter, but my eyes glazed over when I hit that Movement Chart.

Conclusion: I didn't mention the art above, because it straddles a line: None of it is particularly great, and I'm not a super big fan of full page art pieces unless they are really good, but the book is crammed so full of material that I can't say it honestly detracts from the value. For the price, it is DEFINITELY worth it for any Masterbook GM, and those with too much disposable income (they are out there) may get their money's worth out of the Cross Genre and World Building chapters, given how heavy on information and light on mechanics they are.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/05/tommys-take-on-masterbook-companion.html

What Works: The adventure is very well done if you don't mind a fairly linear adventure, and is keyed to the strengths of the Inks and Dancers (ESPECIALLY the Dancers). The extra information on the clans is great, from the different sects inside the Dancers (and the mechanical support in the form of Gifts) to the different types of body modifications for the Inks, and the new Wushu is some pretty great stuff. The Gracious Illustrators and the Winds of Aion are interesting extensions spinning off of the existing clan concepts, providing more options for players. The production values take a step up here with tighter editing than the core book had and a GORGEOUS cover. Having the "perspective" characters from the Wu Xing corebook as narrators in the Clan chapters was a very nice touch.

What Doesn't Work: I'm not a fan of large chunks of books written from an in-character perspective, and many of the voices felt so similar that I didn't realize at first that we were switching narrators on my initial read-through. The Grey Tigers are a cool concept, but just seem very out of place to me in this book...seeming like they would be much more at home in a book about the Recoiling Serpents or the Pack of the Black Moon. In fact, the only link I could see to the Dancers or Inks was that they count Way of the Fire among their Favored Wushu.

Conclusion: The Blazing Dancers are not one of my favorite clans, but this book does a lot to make them very cool. While there is some room for improvement, the basic template for future clan books is in place and looks great. Like any great supplement, there's nothing in here that you ABSOLUTELY NEED in order to play Wu Xing, but if you like Wu Xing, you will have a lot of cool stuff you can use, especially if you are a fan of The Blazing Dancers or Virtuous Body Gardners. Great start to the Clanbook series...I can't wait to see what's next.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/05/tommys-take-on-wu-xing-firebrands.html

The Good:

• Amazing new layout.
• The "Declassified" sidebars are hilarious as well as insightful regarding the "ground view" o the city.
• The new City Trappings mechanic are a top-notch addition.

The Bad:

• Not as much new "mechanical" support as some would surely like.
• Stat blocks, both generic and specific, are spread around the book, rather than collected.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/05/tommys-take-on-boston-broken-cradle-of.html

The Package is a six page adventure (two pages are NPC stats, but there is little art, so it is almost all text) for Interface Zero that was released by Gun Metal Games late last year. As the name implies, it's pretty much an errand job for a group of PCs, easy cash for the delivery of a basic package. Not surprisingly, a mix-up between the PCs and another courier complicates matters...with the PCs winding up in possession of some very sensitive material, and thus targeted by some Very Bad Guys.

On one hand, ensuring that the PCs fall prey to the hook may require a bit of GM fiat, the adventure definitely makes up for it by leaving the resolution entirely in the hands of the PCs, giving them multiple options in which to resolve the situation. A good adventure (with an odd editing issue, such as one line towards the end that disappears into abrupt punctuation) that sets up the situation and lets the PCs do what they will. Great stuff, especially for the price.

Arcane Kingdoms: Seven Realms Beyond The Horizon is a budget-priced, system neutral fantasy supplement by Sword's Edge Publishing with seven kingdoms that are meant to be placed as far away lands in your fantasy game. Each kingdom lists the capital, population, form of government, imports, exports, general description, life and society, important sites, regional history and "FX Campaign", which amounts to suggestions for nonhuman races that can be used to populate the kingdoms (thematically).

The Free City of Argopolis is an incredibly civilized nation that not only utilizes a three branch system of government, but is gaining some notoriety as the inventors of the wordpress, leading - of course - to the mass production of books. The FX notes do point out that it is likely that nonhumans in Argopolis would still wind up in ghettos and the like, casting a darker note on the enlightened society.

On the surface (no pun intended), you read "The Underneath" and you think "Oh, it's The Underdark...again". Not so...think something closer to the Morlocks from the X-Men comics. This is a forgotten society of vagrants, criminals and nonhumans who live just below the surface. It could make for a very interesting juxtaposition in any civilized city that lacks the necessary police force to enforce order below. The FX section is really interesting as it suggests that kobolds could be the driving force in The Underneath, which would be pretty shocking in most fantasy games.

The Commune of Katar Val only consists of about 1,200 people, and are constructed as a true democracy. In a "history is written by the winners" kinda thing, they managed to defeat rampaging bandits and marauders, and turned them into slave labor for their assaults. Elves are recommended as the primary race, with a few suggestions for the marauders, my favorite being trolls. Imagine being a mostly human group finding an Elven commune using Troll slave labor.

The Zeharis Protectorate is the most powerful and militarized realm presented thus far. A very structured, class based society. Again, the FX Campaign notes really takes this entry to the next level, suggesting dwarves as the primary race in the Protectorate, with the smaller realms under their protection being gnomes, halflings or even humans.

The Virikar Domains are a thinly veiled collection of viking nations with a few additional political trappings. Probably my least favorite thus far, but that has more to do with how much I like the other entries than anything else.

The Thanag Tribes of the Sahelli Steppes is a tribal formation of hunter-gatherers ruled by the Tribal Elders (who are usually the more useful, not necessarily the oldest). They have harsh punishments for those who cross the tribes.

The Lordok Nation is a loosely organized alliance of bandit tribes. The author, who had remained race neutral as well as system neutral throughout this book so far, gives his intentions away here by referring to them as goblins (which he notes is the original concept). In and of themselves, the concept isn't anything special...it's the backstory, where The Lordok Nation is said to have been a dominant empire ran by a powerful king that no other society now acknowledges even existed is the real interesting hook here.

I caught a couple of minor editing issues, which is really impressive as there is no editor listed. For $2, this is a really good idea mine, as long as you don't mind that there is no art in the book (which means that the PDF is ALL text, so it's not just padded out), and a few of these entries are easily adapted into even a published campaign (like The Underneath). Probably the one that works the least, conceptually, is the Zeharis Protectorate, if only because it came into power because of being a major spice exporter, so for no one to know about them seems a little...odd.

Great value for the price.

The Good:

• Great concept, playing actual Gods instead of "Gods Walking The Earth"
• Playable as a board game as well as an RPG (or mix and match).
• Plays on common fantasy tropes without hitting the standard dwarf/elf/halfing/etc mix.
• A great deal of usable information in the one corebook.

The Bad:

• Could have used better organization in some places.
• Quick references at the back of the book for all of the charts would have been great.
• Playing as Gods may be a bit too much of a disconnect for some people.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommys-take-on-new-gods-of-mankind-new.html

The Good:

• Amazing production values as always.
• More neat new Edges and Hindrances.
• A unique fantasy campaign with a military theme but a lot of variety that shows what Suzerain can do pre-Heroic rank.

The Bad:

• An underwhelming "Big Bad".
• A few noticeable typos made it into the final product.
• None of the cool, over the top, Heroic and up Suzerain stuff (at least not in the Plot Point Campaign).

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommys-take-on-caladon-falls.html

The Good:

• Filled with plot seeds for a GM willing to expand on them.
• A nice take on varying dragons without copying D&D.
• Definitely makes the mythology of the setting more usable.

The Bad:

• Three chapters copy and pasted from the Player's Guide.
• Monsters referenced in the text are missing from the bestiary.
• Lack of an index or bookmarking in the PDF.

For the full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommys-take-on-chronicles-of-ramlar_10.html

The Good:

• Some very interesting mechanics, like the Momentum System and Special Maneuver Creation system.
• Structured, yet flexible, character advancement and customization through the Paths system.
• Players can control how they earn advancement through defining their Demeanor/Theme Circles.

The Bad:

• Some odd, jarring naming conventions like the divinely inspired "Sevar" sitting alongside the more standard "Warriors".
• Organizational issues make parts of the book harder to follow.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommys-take-on-chronicles-of-ramlar.html

The Good:

• App pricing means it's pretty low risk at $1.99.
• Witty, biting humor with some very nice references sprinkled throughout.
• An actual game is in here, not just a collection of jokes.

The Bad:

• The EASILY offended need not apply (nothing too raunchy or offensive, but if you take it too seriously, it's not going to work at all).
• No Random Mission Generator.

For my full review, please visit http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/03/tommys-take-on-invaderz-pocket-edition.html

The Good:

• Wonderful new expansions to the Equipment Chapter.
• Just a ton of research, and conveyed without boring you with the details.
• Great section on the Global Hotspots.

The Bad:

• There was an (apparently) missing sidebar early on in the book.

Pretty much an essential purchase for Terror Network GMs, incredibly useful. For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/03/tommys-take-on-agency-resource-guide.html

The Good:

• Incredibly comprehensive, well researched.
• Writing is to the point, doesn't beat you over the head with said research.
• Very even handed treatment of the subject matter, and not just US vs Muslims.

The Bad:

• No real treatment of torture, which is rather important for the genre, in my view.
• As with Crime Network, the system probably isn't quite as lethal as it is implied.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-terror-network.html

The Good:

• Setting and system, complete in one book.
• Compatible with other genreDiversion games.
• Extensive collection of vehicle stats.
• Great, short in-character snippets from NPCs around the world set up the setting.

The Bad:

• The art doesn't really convey the seriousness or other worldliness of the invasion.
• Some minor organizational issues are present.
• Some unfortunate font choices hamper the book.

For my full review, please visit: http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2011/02/tommys-take-on-stormrift.html