Cody Lewis, of Taking 20, William Thompson, and Daniel Lewis, working as Green Feather Games, have published their first adventure on DriveThruRPG. It is a 15 page PDF, after the cover, OGL, player map, and 2 1/2 page bestiary, there are 10 pages for the adventure and half page for the DM’s map. It is PWYW, so very affordable. They also have a version of it on Roll20 for $6.99, so you don’t have to do any extra work to be ready to run it.

Since this was published under the 5e SRD they have used creature art and 5e stat blocks. After the OGL, there is a link to the SRD. I almost missed the link, which is mentioned on page 2.

This is a third level adventure for 4 to 5 players. It can be a one shot or easily fit into an established campaign. It should give 3-4 hours of play, so time wise it would be a great scenario to run at a con.

The introduction “chapter” sets the tone and has a quick synopsis, a getting started section, and 3 suggested adventure hooks. This is about a farm harassed by “something” taking a farmer’s cows. It turns out to be a nest of ankhegs that has taken over a former kobold mine. If the first adventure hook is used, there is some read aloud text. The lair is an eight “room” cavern, easily equated with a mini-dungeon.

There is a possibility for loot and unexpected findings/happenings. More than one way to deal with the boss fight is presented.

The short bestiary presents two variations on the ankheg, the queen and hatchlings.

This is a great module for a first time publication. I’m not big on modules, as I have to do so much prep to run them, that I’m usually better served doing my own thing. However, this module doesn’t have extraneous details. It is laid out in a way that is easy to use and not get tripped up on details. There is minimal read aloud text that is between two lines and offset from the margins for the other text. It is also in a variation on the font. Two places have the words “Read aloud:” before the text, and another has read before the first line. I would prefer each occurrence of read aloud text to be handled identically.

What I Liked:

• The title is instantly suggestive of more. What is it?
• Great cover art.
• Straightforward presentation of the module with focus making it easy to run.
• Coded DM map and player map.
  • They could easily be used in Roll20. (NOTE: They have a Roll20 version on the Roll20 marketplace as mentioned above.
• Bestiary
• Link to SRD
• The colored background did not impact the legibility of the text for my aging eyes.

What I’d Like To See:

• Each read aloud text presented the same way.
• The SRD link following the OGL needs to stand out more.
• There was only one thing in the text that bothered me, they used a hyphen to split the word tremorsense with the hyphen after the first ‘s’. so tremors-
  ense.
  I had to stop and make sense of the word split in a non-standard way. This was the only such hiccup.
  I have a pre-release review copy, so it may be fixed in the released version.
  • I did not notice any other typos or layout issues.

Conclusion:

I liked this module and can see myself running it, or even being a player in it. It is simple enough that one who is not into 5e could easily transform it to use in other editions, such as various OSR clones. The presentation of the material makes it easy to just pick it up and run it. I look forward to future offerings from Green Feather Games.

 

I am dipping my toes into 5e, as that is what most new players that don’t meet an OSR grognard first will most likely be exposed to first. At last I have read the high points of the 5e PHB, and glanced through the MM, and read the high points of the DMG. I’m in a 5e campaign that went on hiatus before the first session because of a work situation for the DM. I look forward to playing in Lost Mines of Phandelver before I make an attempt to DM 5e myself. I hope to get word that we will be starting in the next few weeks.

I ordered this book, and let it default to the faster shipping option, instead of letting it take a few more days. Normally, I don’t read other reviews before I write my own. However, I was struggling with what to say, and was curious what others thought of it. I found one strongly positive review by Paul Stormberg of The Collector’s Trove on Facebook. I found myself wondering if he had read the same book I had. I also saw a brief one [G+ Deleted before archived] on G+ by +Greg Gorgonmilk, where he admitted having difficulty trying to find something positive to say about it.  It is with some reluctance that I publish my first solidly negative review.

First Impression

I was very surprised when it came in the mail. I didn’t realize this $20 volume plus several dollars for mailing was only 69 pages long. That was a big let down. However, the introduction and footnotes make it clear that this is just a preparatory volume with a lot of the content in Mr. Kuntz’s upcoming full monograph*: A New Ethos In Game Design.

My initial impression of reading this volume is that it feels like reading 17th, 18th, and 19th century books. I’ve even read some 20th century texts written in this style. My background is studying history and theology, so I have lots of practice reading this style of writing. Basically, the sentence structure is archaic, and the length of sentences reminds me of my forays into studying German in college. Once I determined it was going to be that kind of read, I realized that I had to avoid distractions while reading, so no TV in the other room, and my granddaughter down for a nap.

This may just be the way that Mr. Kuntz writes. Many of my rough drafts have long sentences, and awkward phrasing. In some ways, I felt like I was reading one of my own rough drafts, or one of the “BS” philosophy papers I wrote in college. {I have a minor in philosophy to go with a BA in history. I mean no disrespect, I am just reminded of my own worst writing.]

In spite of the dense and complex way to say things, I was able to change gears from the lighter fare of most of my recent reading, and dig in.

Within these pages it is stated that Dave Arneson is the origin of roleplaying, and stating that David Wesley’s Braunstein or Gygax & Perren’s Chainmail are not true antecedents of The Fantasy Game, later marketed as Dungeons & Dragons.

Mr. Kuntz points out that original D&D is closer to children’s make believe than any other game. He argues that historians of D&D should look to systems theory and design theory to see that neither Chainmail nor Braunstein, on their own, have all the elements by themselves to play a RPG.

He concludes this monograph* with what some may consider a shot across the bow (An apt metaphor for a book about the creator of a naval warfare game.):

RPG historians should take serious note of systems thinking and design theory before making claims which paint unscientific pictures for public consumption and, in such cases, that are rife with errors of even the most basic kind. This form of historicity is not consonant with readily available scientific methodology but tends towards haphazard guesswork.

Mr. Kuntz obviously has a dim view on the historiographic** methods of many RPG historians. Perhaps the issue is a lack of primary materials from Dave Arneson and his players. In-depth interviews with the remaining first generation players would clarify this. As I have not delved into the methods and footnotes of all extant histories on RPGs and D&D, I cannot comment if that is the issue.

A more accessible presentation, i.e.  easier to read, would better serve Rob Kunt’s goal of expressing to the world that without Dave Arneson, there would be no D&D. It is clear that this is true. It is also clear, from what I have read, that without Gary Gygax’s collaboration, RPGs may never have taken off and would be an obscure phenomena limited to the original group of players.

Rob Kuntz is by many accounts a very intelligent man, and obviously widely read. From his many footnotes, it is clear that he is widely read in the theories of systems and design. Most of those footnotes read like his writing. Other reviews I have read have stated that he could probably say the same thing in one third the number of pages. I tend to agree.

The argument is stated that Dave Arneson’s vision of what RPGs can be is stunted and too strongly tied to what have become more and more rigid rules with each version of D&D. He thus seems to advocate what those in the OSR movement are all about, “rulings not rules”, and using the parts that fit what is right for you and your group. He points out that Gary Gygax advocated this early on, but for financial/profit reasons developed more rules to keep players tied to his version of the game, rather than getting by without rules. While this is demonstrably true based on Gygax’s own writings, it is not new.

However, I do not see how one can take the RPG concept further than “rulings not rules”. The upcoming book is claimed to answer that question.

What I Liked

• A good reminder that without Dave Arneson, there would be no D&D.
• Supports the OSR ideal of “rulings not rules.”

What I’d Like to See

• A more direct and clear writing style.
• Mr. Kuntz was there are the beginning of the Arneson/Gygax collaboration on D&D, and his personal insights add perspective to the early days. I’d like to see this more plainly explained. Perhaps it is his upcoming monograph*.

Conclusion

If you are one of those who researches the history of D&D, you will want this book for your collection.  Some who are completionists will find that they want this in their collection. Dave Arneson did not come up with his idea out of nothing. He was a long time game player, and had multiple experiences in different aspects of games, that one can see their impact on what he shared with his gaming group and later Gary Gygax. While it is helpful to have primary sources from those who were there, the writing style is far from accessible to the general reader. If this is the style we can expect from his upcoming book, then I seriously doubt I will buy it. His goal of raising up Dave Arneson would be better served by a more clear and concise presentation of his argument.

*Monograph – A fancy word for a book with one author.

**Historiography is the study of the methods of historians. It is in a sense, the history of the study of history. [The upper level historiography course was required for my BA in history.]

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A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Ice Kingdoms campaign setting. Along with the setting, Yesterday, I reviewed the first of several planned modules, Lair of The White Wyvern.  Today I review Into the Mournwood by James M. Ward, $8.99 on RPGNow.

There were several modules possible for unlocking in the Kickstarter, but none of the stretch goals were reached. Into the Mournwood was part of the base Kickstarter funding.

The Mournwood is one of the areas mentioned in the campaign setting book, The Ice Kingdoms. As with the setting book and the White Wyvern module, it fits together and fleshes out the setting a bit more.

This 56 page adventure is for 4-6 characters of levels 3-7. There is a linked index, and three major sections: Introductions, Adventure, and Bestiary.

The Introduction is composed of background and history of Mournwood, Where does the GM start, and 6 pages of More Notes for the GM. In the history, we learn why the Mournwood is also called the Hag Wood. This ancient forest is “full of monsters, fey creatures, and ancient evil.” This forest is so evil that there is a d10 table for curses that afflict those who enter it, if they fail a saving throw.

In the GM section it is specifically mentioned that the GM can use the adventure hook or not, and come up with their own adventure to start things. I really likes that, so that someone new to old school style of play encounters the idea up front.

The adventure section is composed of 35 encounter areas indicated on the region map. I must have missed something, as not all 35 adventure locations are on the map. If there is mention of this, I didn’t catch it, and I tried to read the entire thing carefully. It almost feels like a page with a map is missing. The map is a color map with 5 mile hexes. It would be easy enough to do 6 mile hexes if that is your preference. [EDIT: C.S. Barnhart pointed out, “Page 18, treasures of the fallen explain why encounters 4 to 22 are not on the map and how to use them.” See his other comment and my reply below.]

The pen and ink art fits the tone and mood of the setting, and are well done. There is only the one color map and it is quite nice. The remaining maps are black & white and are simple utilitarian maps. That is, they don’t have any embellishments like cross hatching and the like. All of the maps could easily be used in Virtual Table Tops (VTTs), like Roll20.

There is boxed text indicating read aloud text. There is one that is the initial setup for the adventure that is two pages. The GM can give each player a copy of the player handout to read themselves. The read aloud text is in a plain black box. I was momentarily confused, as there is some boxed text that has a gray background, that is obvious one would not give that information to the players. I don’t see anything explaining the difference. Further adding to the confusion, is the player handout is boxed text with a grey background. I would prefer to see a quick explanation of the two kinds of boxes, and being consistent in which one has grey shading.

This is a tough adventure and players need to play it smart. There are also adventure locations where players find items to help them as they go.

Finally, the Bestiary has 23 monsters and plants, most are familiar for those who play AD&D/OSRIC. Most notably, some of the named monsters are used with permission from WotC.  There are a few new creatures or modifications of old standbys to fit the setting.

What I Liked:

• This adventure does a good job of giving the players a feel for the setting.
• This is definitely old school. – Not all encounters are balanced, encouraging players to think before they rush in.
  • Having played Metamorphosis Alpha with Jim at a con, I can definitely see his style even in a different genre.
• In the GM section is points out that the GM doesn’t have to use the included adventure hook. The GM is encouraged to make this material their own.
• The maps could easily be used online, such as in Roll20.
  • One map is the only color art in the book.
• The pen and ink are is all very good. I feel it is all more consistent than in the campaign setting book.
• The layout is clean and simple.
• After my previous reviews and commenting about the need for more editing, I received an updated PDF. Serendipitously, about the time I was preparing to read the module. I am pleased that instead of one or more errors per page, there are perhaps 5 or 6 in total.

What I’d Like To See: (This is almost exactly the same as my review of Lair of the White Wyvern.)

• There are a lot of text boxes for read aloud text.
  • In my case, I have to know a module very well to be able to read such text at the right time.
  • Some of it is a bit long.
  • I think an experienced GM could give this one thorough reading and a couple quick reviews to get it straight the best way for them to run this.
• There are two kinds of text boxes, but it is left to the reader to notice the difference.
  • The player handout has a different background than the rest of the read aloud text.
  • This should be noted at the beginning, and have consistent format for read aloud or asides for the GM.
• While the layout is clean and simple, there is very little white space between the columns in this two column layout. It is still readable, and seems OK on my monitor.

Conclusion:

If you like this setting and are a completionist, this module is for you.  There is enough material here to easily fill multiple game sessions.

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A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Ice Kingdoms campaign setting. Along with the setting, I received the first of several planned modules, Lair of The White Wyvern, by Ryan Lynn and C.S. Barnhart $8.99 on RPGNow.

This module fits the tone of the setting, a modified Viking land and mythos. The PDF I received is black & white, with no cover art. The art is well done pen & ink pictures.

Within we have an Introduction containing a table of contents that are linked to the pages, a background, four adventure hooks, and the village of Ainhild. There is also a general area encounter table, and two area specific encounter tables.

Next comes a seven part adventure. Each part leads to the next in logical succession. There are “timed” events and set encounters that happen if the players do certain things. There is an area map and maps of the village and other locations.

Finally, there is a bestiary with 14 creatures, four of them are new. One, the mountain ape, is mentioned in the Ice Kingdoms Setting, but its stats are in this module. Some of the creatures are slightly modified from the standard old school version. For example, the bandits have 1st level thief abilities. As many bandits as there are, I wonder if this doesn’t overpower them. It would probably depend on the GM and how the players interacted with the bandits.

The central theme is that the characters need to investigate the source of a mysterious and deadly illness that has beset the village. Is it a curse, a punishment, a plague, or something else? I don’t like to spoil the specifics, but it has a nice twist in it so that it is not what one might expect.

This is a 50 page booklet for 4 to 6 characters of 3rd to 5th level. There is a place for combat, but fighting in the wrong places will leave the party worn out. A party without a cleric would be at a disadvantage in some situations.

What I Liked:

• This adventure does a good job of giving the players a feel for the setting.
• It occurred to me as I read it that it would be a great location to build upon and the authors acknowledge this and give suggestions to make this happen.
• There is enough detail for sub-plots in the adventure. Some are detailed by the authors, others came to mind as I read it.
• The modular design of the seven parts of the adventure make it easy to skip, such as in convention play.
  • One could also lift a part to use as a piece of a home brew adventure or other module.
• This is definitely old school. – Not all encounters are balanced, encouraging players to think before they rush in.
• Stats and opportunities for several skill checks are mentioned for those who play using rules that have them.
  • This is not my style, but I can see the value for those who like them.
• It is generic enough that it can easily be used in any rule set. There are few stats.
• The maps could easily be used online, such as in Roll20.
  • Some of the maps are the only color art in the book.
• The pen and ink are is all very good. I feel it is all more consistent than in the campaign setting book.
• The general encounter table is 0-9 using a d8, and is -1 if in forest, and +1 if in mountains. This is an interesting way to get two tables in one.
• The layout is clean and simple.

What I Would Like to See:

• As with the campaign setting, this needed another pass by a proofreader. Extra words, missing space between a couple words, correctly spelled but incorrect words etc.
  • I don’t know if this is the final copy or just the review copy.
• There are a lot of text boxes for read aloud text.
  • In my case, I have to know a module very well to be able to read such text at the right time.
  • Some of it is a bit long.
  • I think an experienced GM could give this one thorough reading and a couple quick reviews to get it straight the best way for them to run this.
• While the layout is clean and simple, there is very little white space between the columns in this two column layout. It is still readable, and seems OK on my monitor.

Conclusion:

This is an adventure that I’d like to play in. I can also see me running it. If you like the Ice Kingdoms campaign setting, you might find this a helpful piece for fleshing out a small area.

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The Ice Kingdoms is fantasy RPG setting from a Kickstarter that funded on August 31, 2016, with a projected delivery of December, 2016. I was approached by Caleb Congrove, one of the additional writers,  at the end of January to do a review. He sent me the PDF of The Ice Kingdoms, a jpeg of the map, and a PDF of the adventure module, Lair of The White Wyvern. At this time, The Ice Kingdoms is available as a PDF on the OBS site RPGNow for $15, and Lulu for printing. With a $25 softcover, $30 hardcover, and $10 eBook options.

The three principle authors are C.C Barnhart, James M. Ward of Metamorphosis Alpha, Gama World, and many other things, and Chris Lites. There is a forward by E. Gary Gygax, Jr.

According to the Kickstarter video, there are three planned books for this setting. The first is the campaign book, The Ice Kingdoms, next will be a bestiary, and the third will be The Ice Kingdom Adventures, with demi-humans and adventure ideas. There is also a module written for the Kickstarter, by James M. Ward, Into The Mournwood. A total of five modules are planned.

I will review Lair of The White Wyvern separately.

Their website has a 404 error and the domain is returning a 500 Error at the time of this writing. Both worked a few weeks ago when I gathered the links for this review. However, you can find them on Facebook.

The map is focused on a regions several hundred miles on a side, giving a wide range of places for adventure. It also features in a two page spread in the book. The map is available on Printer Studio.

This is a Norse inspired setting, that also takes from Greek mythology and near Eastern myths to make its own variation. It is intentionally low magic, where there are no corner potion shops, or markets that sell magical items.

This is a human centric setting, but dwarves and gnomes, and halflings are a possibility. Elves are described as evil enemies of humanity, much like in Norse lore. There are thanes and earls, and a few kings. Women have no restrictions on being adventuring types, as it is specifically mentioned.

Jarls, Karls, and Thralls are the three main societal ranks. Thralls are slaves. Bondsmen are debtors who are temporarily lowered to the status of thrall until they work off their debt. Thralls can earn their way to freedom.

Karls are free men and women. There are further subdivisions. Jarls are the nobility and include thanes, jarls, landsmen, and kings. Most of these titles are for the individual to attain and keep. Few but the most wealthy and powerful kings have their sons succeed them.

Outcasts are not under the law, but also don’t benefit from its protections. They are considered lower than thralls. Types of outcasts include: tramps, seers, sorcerers, witches, beggars, or criminals. Some may be mistreated, but others have the ability to protect themselves or work revenge.

Next is a discussion of diet, crops, trade goods, and ships. All heavily influenced by the Norse of our world.

In chapter 4 we get to the characters. Ability scores recommend using 4d6 drop the lowest, to generate above average heroic types. In addition, at every even numbered level a character can increase one ability by 1 point, with exceptional strength only being 10%. There are level limits of 15th level, with 16th & 17th level achieved by divine encounters or something like limited wish. 18th level requires both divine intervention and a wish spell. If a character gains enough XP to reach 19th level, They are wisked away to serve the gods or serve out their eternal punishment.

Character death: When a human character dies there is a 5% chance per level that their soul is called to serve their deity in Valagard (or
to be punished in the underworld).

All born in the cold nothlands have two special traits: Ice Born, and Cold Blooded that give them bonuses verses cold effects and even insanity, since they are used to staying indoors for much of the cold winter.

There are multiple sorts of humans. Each type has a favored class in which they can gain additional XP bonuses. Each group also has restricted classes, in that if they pick a class out side of that list they have penalties. The bonuses affect abilities, saves, and include additional abilities. This is an interesting idea that make different groups stand out. With the bonuses plus the point buy every other level, exceptional characters will be the norm. This is perhaps one way to bring the heroic into the game without overpowering the lower levels. However, being a harsh and unforgiving place, with many foes, GMs can match this power boost with an extra foe here and there in encounters. As an old school DM, not all encounters are meant to be fought, so even heroic types need to know when not to fight.

The character races described are one of the human races, or dwarves. Humans of other racial groups and other demi-human races could be used at the GM’s discretion.

Sorcerers are added a a multi-classing option starting as a claric and switching to magic-user.

Demi-Human multi-classing – once a class hits maximum level, the other class that can still advance does not divide XP. This is an interesting idea. One I had not encountered before.

Magic is feared and seen as a sign of evil, except for clerical servants of the gods, and tribal shaman and wise elders. They include: Rune Magic, Clerical Power, Druidic Power, Hagcraft, and Sorcery. The setting advises true arcane casters to be rare, and the same with their spells, of the Invocation/Evocation and Alteration schools. Either treat them as one level higher, unless acquired form a travelling mage or scroll. Most use runecasting in their spells.

There are different types of runes. there is the normal letter and number runes used for writing, and then there are runes for other mystical purposes: The two types of power runs – spell runes for casting spells and magic runes for making magic items. Luck runes and True Runes are more powerful forms of spell runes. Oracles may use Fortune Runs, called bones or sticks in their divinations. Master runes are used by arcane casters in place of spell books and are the component used in arcane spell casting. Spell runes must be carved and used with Master runes for casting spells. If there is a lack of spell runes, traditional components may be used.

15 new spells specific to the setting. 6 new magic items. Standing stones are a special magic item requiring 50 levels of priestly magic to construct and has lots of restrictions. Upon successful construction, it can be used to boost one aspect of a priestly spell. This is a neat idea that I can see being used by druidic sects.

The pantheon of the Ice Kingdoms has its own chapter and relays the way the gods interrelate and the basis for the current religious and cultic activities. Cult is not used in the sociological sense, but as a sign of the evil beings out to punish humanity.

There is a whole long chapter on the priests of the various gods and what kings of armor and weapons, and other items such priests are permitted. For example, some can’t use shields. The power and station of a deity determine what level of spell they can grant. Such as only greater gods can bestow 7th level spells. This ties the whole mythos together and makes it an interlocking whole.

The chapter on the region’s geography is a gazetteer style, and include a two page map like that of the jpeg I was sent. It describes an immense 150,000 square mile area of mystery and adventure opportunities. there are three weather tables that begin with a modifier to daily temperature, and a general regional temperature table based on the 4 main latitudes of the region. there is a simplified table for generation of rain, snow, or special dependent on time of year.

Arfhrdheim is the main ancient city of the region, that was founded by a mythical king, and it used more as a ceremonial and traditional center of meeting. for one who dares, There is the opportunity to claim the mantle of king. The districts of the city and a general history and explanation, along with a map are given, for use when characters journey here.

The Flora dn Fauna of the ice kingdoms go into the humanoid races and other creatures found there. With frigid-zone versions of common creatures, to the very rare elves, who are faery creatures. These are merely descriptions and there are no stat blocks. Not all of them are listed in the bestiary in Appendix B, so one must turn to their rule system of choice or develop the stats for these creatures themselves.

The Details:

The Ice Kingdoms

(c) 2016 Mad Martian Games, 202 pages

Three main authors: CS Barnhart, James M. Ward, and Chris Lites.

Uses OSRIC so 1e compatible, and easily used with B/X and the various retro clones. On page 160 in appendix A, it mentions:
“NOTE: By default this book is designed more toward the side of basic era, first era and second era of play. In particular it is designed to be used with For Gold & Glory, Labyrinth Lord: Advanced Edition Companion or OSRIC.”

The Table of Contents is linked, but links to some pages seem to be off a page. Some land on the page before the heading, and some land just after the heading. I would like to see consistency in where the links hit.

It has what appears to be a great index, that is linked. This is a big help when using a PDF reader.

Chapters include:

1. Kingdoms of Blood and Ice
2. History of the Ice Kingdoms
3. Of Thanes and Thralls
4. Characters in the Ice Kingdoms
5. Magic in the Ice Kingdoms
6. Legends and Lore of the Ice Kingdoms
7. Temples of the Ice Kingdoms
8. Geography of the Ice Kingdoms
9. The City of Arfhrdheim
10. Flora and Fauna of the Ice Kingdoms

There are seven appendices:

A Basic Conversion Notes:
This deals with converting to the use of other rule sets. This covers 3 pages. The first section on Dice Modifiers is a bit awkward, and doesn’t have an example to make it clear. It is for converting s. bonuses, like strength and dexterity bonuses to a d100 check. I would like to see this cleaned up. There is a table of Dice Modifiers, but it falls after the discussion on Armor Class. This is a layout issue, rather than lack of explanation.

There is a discussion on converting from descending AC to Ascending AC, as well as THAC0 to Base Hit Bonus.

Next mentions skills & proficiencies, and generally how to convert to different “eras” of the rules.

Hit Dice conversion chart for advanced & basic rules with special notes. A discussion of Hit Dice and Hit Points is after this and the following table.

Terminology of what the diffeerent classes are called in different eras. This has a table for what classes were originally called. I suspose for those not in the know, this is a useful bit of Rosetta Stone. There is a heading for this topic with one line, “Class terminology also varies across the different eras of gaming.” Again, this is AFTER the table.

The final two table in this section follow the discussion, surprise and exceptional strength.

B Bestiary
The bestiary is only 12 pages, but definitely sets the tone for the setting. Each creature is in tune with the nordic setting of the north and far north.

• Hagling
• Ice Elf (Wraith Elf)
• Ice Hag
• Minotaur
• Orcs (also known as hobgoblins or goblin men) are mansized
  humanoids.
• Owlbear, Thanic – The polar bear version of an owlbear.
• Stone Dwarves
• Wereborn:
• Wereborn, Arkon – Arkons are wereborn offspring of a werehorse. They are hulking humanoids with the muscular body of a human
  and the head of a horse.
• Wereborn, Dynarthion – Dynarthions are wereborn who live far from civilized lands, most often in low hills and semi-mountainous regions in deep forests. A dynarthion has the head and torso
  of a human and the lower body of a bear.
• Wereborn, Ratborn – Ratborn are humanoids, they appear to be bipedal rats, slightly shorter than humans,

C Adventures in the Ice Kingdoms
This gives two pages with examples of the types of adventures one can find in this setting.

• Raids
• Exploration
• Defense
• Politics
• War
• Survival
• Classic
• Sword and Sorcery
• The Wildland

Threats

The major threats to the Ice Kingdoms are as follows.

• Rival Thanes
• Hags
  The abandoned daughter of the gods and her kin….
• The Cult of O’Mawj
  The forbidden god O’Mawj has a secret cult that infests the
  people of the Ice Kingdoms. Many clans and tribes of the
  Varyag still pay homage to the cannibal god and engage in
  his brutal rituals and ceremonies.
• The Frozen Thrones
  Hidden deep in the Frozen Thrones lies a powerful undead
  lord dedicated to reclaiming his rightful rule over the land
  of the Ice Kingdoms.
• Giants
  The giants are still bitter over the fall of Thrymtur to Uthin.
• Trolls
  The children of the hags, trolls are set lose to lurk and hunt
  in caves, woods, streams and hills of the Ice Kingdoms as
  a means to annoy, harass and terrorize the humans of the
  Ice Kingdoms.
• Orcs
  The orcs lost much of their original homelands promised to
  them by their god Belac
• Frost Men
  A rumored threat coming from the Jotunreach

D Clerical Spheres
This is a list of all the spells found in the original game and current retro clones and lists which retro clone has that spell. It includes the new spells introduced with the setting. 13? new spells.?

Spells with a “Y” in the FG&G, M&M, and BFRP
columns can be found in For Gold & Glory, Myth & Magic,
and Basic Fantasy Role Playing Game, respectively. “C” and
“D” in the OSRIC and LL columns denote cleric and druid
spells for OSRIC and Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion;
spells labeled with “B” in the LL column are found
in the core Labyrinth Lord book.

The sphere of a spell is tied to the deity a cleric follows and if their deity does not include a certain sphere, it limits or prevents them from using spells outside their sphere, or incures penalties and disfavor.

Each spell is listed as what sphere it is in, with this list.

• All
• Animal
• Astral
• Charm
• Combat
• Divination
• Elemental
• Guardian
• Healing
• Healing
• Necromancy
• Plant
• Protection
• Summoning
• Sun
• Weather

E Cultural Miscellanea
This includes the setting calendar with an explanation of the months, and number of days and names of the week days, and seasons. There is also the dwarven calendar.

There is a brief mention of constellations and the names for the 13 constellations.

Finally, there is a list of human and dwarven names with a naming convention for humans.

F The Codex of Eordan
This is a discussion of the planet Eordan and its place in the solar system of several planets. There is no more mention of them. Eordan has four continents, only two are significantly explored. There is a map showing where these two land masses meet. There are four moons. The primary one is just called the moon. The Faemoon is only visible to the fae or revealed with powerful magics. the rotan moon is only visible to those with infravision. Finally, the mythical Tide Moon, viewed as a tall tale told by sailors.

N Games to Play
This is a list of various RPGs that can be used with the Ice Kingdoms settings.

What I liked:

• This has a feeling of the Norsemen of our world, but it not a complete copy and paste like would be tempting to do.
• There is room for GMs to use that which suits them.
• Those looking for a pre-packaged campaign setting for a northern setting will find it here.
• This is a low-magic setting.
• It is not tied solely to a single ruleset, and it can easily be used as-is with OSRIC or AD&D 1e.
• Most of the rules sets it works with are available for free.
• A new rules set is not needed, one can use their preferred rules, unless they want a change.
• Tables for translating to various rules and versions of the game.
• For GMs who want to pick a setting and go, this is all one needs.
• A GM can easily insert this setting into a portion of their game world to use when players want something different.
• The Table of contents is linked.
• There is an index and the page numbers are linked.
• The clerical spheres chart is in level number order, within each sphere.
• The black & white art fits the Nordic setting of snow & ice.

What I’d Like to see:

• Consistency in where Table of contents links land.
  Table of Contents links working on tablets. (I used the Adobe Reader on my Galaxy 5 tablet.)
• Tables in the appendices following the discussion related to that table.
• Some of the artwork looks rushed or unfinished. Some of the art appears to be a quick sketch that was cleaned up for production.
• Some art looks like a very light pencil sketch, where pen and ink would translate better to the page, and fit the tone of the other art.
• One more pass by an editor or proof reader on the introduction and the appendices.

Conclusion

This is a setting I could use, if I were in need of such a setting. Currently, I am building a new area in my campaign world that could have a Nordic feel in one area, but not where the characters will start. I think it gives designers of other settings something to think about. There is a new take on handling variances in human groups, and it does not automatically assume all the classes of old will be available. New spells, ideas for using magic, and some new or varied creatures gave me several ideas for potential future use.

I almost backed this Kickstarter, but was well over the limit of what I needed. I thought that I could do my own north lands setting, but this is far and away better than I could or would have done.

Other than some editing, layout, and art issues, I didn’t see anything to jump out and dissuade me from this product.

There is so much packed into these 202 pages, that I think the value is definitely there for those who want or need such a well defined setting.

The Kickstarter video:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1446402795/the-ice-kingdoms

I have already done a review of an advanced copy, PDF, and book for Dungeon Grappling. Doug did above I beyond and along with the PDF released two eBook formats ePub & mobi.

I fired up my Kindle and loaded it up. It is Black & white with no graphics for speed at the table. All the content is otherwise the same. It has the linked table of contents and index like the PDF.

It has a clean and crisp layout. I’ve not tried using my Kindle at the table, but I may have to give it a go.

I also fired up my Samsung Galaxy 5 tablet and opened it in the Aldiko reader and it looks good there too. The PDF looks good on my tablet as well.

If you have an eBook reader, or want it on your phone or a tablet, this is a cool option to have.

This part is worth repeating:

Doug took one reviewer to heart about the art and has published a book of just the art. The cut is for the artists to get a bonus, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and towards a bit of the overhead. You can buy Dungeon Grappling On DriveThruRPG and on Doug’s website, Gaming Ballistic.