Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. (API) API calls itself “An action horror RPG… with a twist of humor.” Reading it reminds me of movies like Men in Black, where the action and weirdness are so over the top that you can’t really take it seriously; where the dark evil things in the universe are fought with magic, big guns, snark, and sarcasm. The PCs work for API, a business whose mission is to keep humanity safe from the things that threaten the planet – plagues, demons, aliens, etc. So rather than being a post-apocalypse game, it’s an apocalypse prevention game.

How does it play? API uses Third Eye Games' “Dynamic Gaming System (DGS). That uses a single D20 roll for all actions. Characters are created from a Concept, Passion, and Race. The attributes are assigned from a 30 point pool. The attributes are Power, Agility, Vigor, Intellect, Insight, and Charm. These more or less correspond to D20’s Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha. However, the point values are on a spread from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 10. Since die rolls are 1d20 + attribute + skill, there’s no need for higher attribute points. This actually makes sense: why use D20’s scale where attribute= table look-up for modifier when you can just add the value directly to the die roll? Well played. Skills are on a 1 to 10 scale, also. The rules list 20 standard skills and 12 combat skills. Skills specialize at specific levels. Experience points are used to buy skill points, bonus points, or attribute points instead of acting as a level-up measure. Combat is fast-paced and deadly enough that avoiding it might be a good first choice. I’d happily play or GM this game, based on the rules, examples, and plot hooks provided. 4 out of 5.

Does it have good Layout, Style and Art? The book (pdf) has a color over with black and white interior. The page layout is a two-column setup with different “blood” splatters on most pages. There are plenty of text boxes to highlight key points. The text reads well. Some of the writing could use a bit more “polish” in editing and there are a few typos, but overall it is clear and easily understood. Interior art includes anime-style sketches that fit the text well and help convey the look and feel of the world. The author provides good examples throughout the text. The book includes a thorough index.

Gangworld: Dark Dominatrixes presents an all-female drow gang that "poses as dealers in exotic vices and forbidden pleasures, while hiding a much darker and deadlier secret." The drow run a chain of brothels and strip clubs. They also are heavily (and secretly) into slave trading. This PDF is three pages long. It includes no mechanical, crunchy parts and therefore has no OGL license page.

This is a well written product. It presents concepts that would fit into any urban fantasy setting, though it is written with D&D 3x / D20 in mind. The Gangworld series seems to be a mashup between D&D and a 1930s style gangster film. The art work is well done (anime style), though limited to just a color cover and a black and white repurposing of that cover image. It contains what should be a link to the creators' homepage (http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com) but that link fails. Perhaps their PDF creator stripped the link?

I give the PDF a 3 out of 5 for style, layout, and art, 4/5 for writing/usability. No mechanics to really rate on that front, but that's okay.

Adapting these to a non D20 engine would be an easy task.

I'd be willing to use these products in an urban D&D game. I might change the names to kind of reduce the camp a notch, but otherwise, excellent work.

Gangworld: Effin' Faeries describes a group of corrupt Seelie Court faeries who "exploit their Seelie Court connections to control local weather and natural phenomena, and their Unseelie Court connections to kidnap, assassinate, and spy from the shadows." The PDF presents history, acitivites, organization, adventure seeds, and Winter and Summer Fey races for use as PCs or NPCs. Basically, these are the go-to guys to put a hurt on someone, while making it look like natural causes. This PDF is 5 pages, but the last page is basically OGL license boilerplate.

This is a well written product. It presents concepts that would fit into any urban fantasy setting, though it is written with D&D 3x / D20 in mind. The Gangworld series seems to be a mashup between D&D and a 1930s style gangster film. The art work is well done (anime style), though limited to just a color cover and a black and white repurposing of that cover image. It contains what should be a link to the creators' homepage (http://postmortemstudios.wordpress.com) but that link fails. Perhaps their PDF creator stripped the link?

I give the PDF a 3 out of 5 for style, layout, and art, 4/5 for writing/usability. Not enough mechanics to really rate on that front, but that's okay.

Adapting these to a non D20 engine would be an easy task.

I'd be willing to use these products in an urban D&D game. I might change the names to kind of reduce the camp a notch, but otherwise, excellent work.