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The Hero's Journey: Second Edition
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Ryan B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/09/2020 14:05:24

I'm a huge Tolkien fan, and grew up playing RPGs. I've played MERP, AD&D 2e, I'm reading Adventure in Middle-Earth for 5e (among other tabletop RPGs), and I'm running a campaign with Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures. This is an amazing fusion of Tolkien's ethos and the fun and quirkiness of old-school D&D. That said, there are some fantastic twists and original takes that takes The Hero's Journey: Second Edition way beyond a mere retro-clone or a Middle-earth (with the serial numbers filed off) setting. Even without a campaign setting as such, in every aspect of the mechanics of the game - from character creation to combat and magic systems - Spahn captures the moral and spiritual vision of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The world is dangerous, dark, and adventurers risk despair and corruption; at the same time, hope is a real quality - heroes are really heroes, and there is a buoyant quality to writing and the spirit of The Hero's Journey.

Mechanically, THJ adapts the familiar ability scores, changing both the names and meanings - for instance, Wisdom and Constitution essentially fuse into "Resistance," while Intelligence and Wisdom (in another way) become "Insight." "Weal" rounds out the ability scores, bringing doom/fate/luck into the core of character creation. Characters will also feature professions, lineages (races), and archetypes (classes). Some of these are classic and familiar, some bring fresh ideas, like the Changeling lineage, which gives players the option to play a character who is out of step with the world around them, even to the point that NPCs will fail to notice or will come to lose track of a changeling who isn't trying to be seen! Another variant allow players to create characters who come to the adventure from our world, like Susan or Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia!

Spellcasting and combat also innovate over the Swords & Wizardry and Tolkien roots, featuring spells with core ideas that give rise to options for a character to choose when the spell is cast, and the use of damage reduction in addition to basic hit-and-damage mechanics. Hope and despair (and corruption) are baked into every aspect of the game - characters have options for supporting and encouraging one another in combat and around the campfire, and they run the risk of despair when dealing with the evils of the world.

This doesn't even cover the array of creatures designed for THJ and the direction given to designing adventures, settings, or the ways characters can develop heirlooms and potent equipment over time. As for the book itself, the artwork is beautiful and captures the spirit of the game, evoking down-to-earth and adventurous characters. Initially, I lamented the lack of color in the presentation. However, now that I have the softcover in my hands, and looks amazing printed. The POD version is excellent!

If you want something gritty or grimdark, this isn't likely to be your cup of tea. However, if you love the adventurous spirit of early D&D and the joyfully serious (or seriously joyful?) quality of Tolkien's work, Spahn has produced that in spades. I am eager to see the adventures and the Hero's Companion that he is working on, putting more flesh and vision into an already hefty offering!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Hero's Journey: Second Edition
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The Enderwoods (Free PDF Edition)
Publisher: The Roleplay Blog
by Ryan B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/05/2020 09:53:49

The product begins with a highly charged, provacative, line-in-the-sand political and social statement about who should and should not play the game. The very act of sorting people into one's own moral categories and condemning them in such a polarizing way runs counter to the ethic of inclusivity professed by the product. For me, this douses any interest in pursuing this further. I would recommend that the author focus on the positive aspects of their view of inclusivity without expressing such condemnation of their view of what opinions others may hold.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
The Enderwoods (Free PDF Edition)
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Creator Reply:
We are of the opinion that authors can only be honest with what people can expect from our work. We want to set the standards early on, so that people who have a problem with some of it might escape early, as you did. I would say it serves its point. Hatred doesn't have any space in inclusivity and must be fought outright. Sorry it's not your cup of tea and thank you for the frank review and rating!
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