Hello, Gamer Nation, here are the remaining tidbits about the giveaways from Free RPG Day 2021. As I’ve stated previously, these aren’t all of them, just the ones my husband Mark was able to get. (Thanks, Mark!) Please note that these are not full review in any way, shape, or form. These are my first and second impressions, based on a couple quick read throughs of the written ones. (And, in the case of minis, admiring them.)
“Dragon of Icespire Peak Adventure Preview” is the first part of the Levels 1-5 adventure included in the D&D Essentials Kit. This one is definitely aimed at the newest of newcomers to the hobby. Just read the sidebar on who should see and how to use the adventure map if you don’t believe me. That said, it’s a decent adventure set in the Forgotten Realms’ Sword Coast region, with the characters visiting a reclusive rockgnome city. There are 6 L1 pregens included: Half-elf Monk and Cleric, High Elf Wizard, Halfling Rogue, and Hill Dwarf and Dragonborn Fighters.
Renegade Game Studios provided “Enter the Collection,” an Essence 20 Roleplaying System module. The cover says it’s compatible with the Power Rangers, GI Joe, and Transformers RPGs. Whichever afternoon TV series your group favors, the PCs are asked to find a missing biology Professor looking into mutated freshwater molluscs. (Yes, my Zoology degree is showing again.) Stats for opponents and vehicles are included, but no pregens. You’ll need one of the compatible RPGs to play “Enter the Collection.” I think it has possibilities to be adapted to another system, possibly even a lower powered superhero game, if the opponents are made tougher.
Hitpoint Press has a D&D 5e two-fer in one booklet, of the style where you flip the booklet to read the other piece. One part is a sample Big Bad Evil Gal from the Big Bads website, which offers a Boss of the Month subscription. Zara Harlowe looks pretty complex and clever – but some people might consider her ruse obvious. Flip the booklet vertically and you have a module for Hitpoint’s Humblewood D&D setting, “The Heart of Dako.” While the NPCs and pregenned PCs included use standard classes, the illustrations and race names make clear that these are sentient animal races.
Changing gears, we go to Genesys’ Twilight Imperium: The Roleplaying Game. For those who don’t know – like me! – Mark explains that Twilight Imperium is a “very complex” boardgame of the military SF genre. This is a very complete quickstart module. It starts with abbreviated Genesys rules, including shortened versions of key tables for narrative dice results. This section is followed by the adventure and four pregen PCs.
The last goodie changes 5e gears once more, to Victoriana, a steampunk setting using the D&D 5e rules. All the “races” are human variants and there are unique classes, judging by the statblocks. There are also some social skill changes because, as the developers point out, “Victorian society is very different to a medieval setting.” I like that there’s more setting “Fluff” than most freebies of this type. Made me interested in playing through the adventure – and I am not really a fan of steampunk, so that says something about the fluff’s quality. (I prefer Jules Verne, one of its biggest inspirations.) Speaking of the adventure, the four pre-gen PCs (called “Associates” in Victoriana) get taken for a ride at The Underground’s opening.
That’s all folks, for Free RPG Day 2021. A little late – being in mid-October when it’s usually scheduled for early June – but I say it was worth the wait. Again, if you picked up any freebies Mark missed, tell us about them.
Linda Whitson
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