Gold & Glory is an Old School dungeon crawler for Savage Worlds; it’s not a setting as such, more a set of rules mods which give SW the feel of OD&D. It does this quite elegantly with three main changes:

[1] It adds an optional random character generation process; draw three cards, and these determine race, gender, edges, hindrances and ‘character class’, which is a package of skills and equipment. (I’ve used this for creating some highly entertaining NPCs in other genres, too.)

[2] It adds a random dungeon generator based on card draws (which determine the map layout and are generic) and die rolls (which determine monster encounters, tricks and traps and are different for each of the seven example dungeons provided).

[3] It modifies character advancement; in effect, characters have to buy advances using loot they have collected in dungeons, although they can only do so by spending that loot in specific ways – carousing, research or offerings to the Sun God. This is the most important change to the core rules.

There have been a few changes since the 2017 version... A few minor tweaks to reflect changes to skills, edges, hindrances, gear and powers in the core rules, nothing significant in my opinion. Half-orcs have now disappeared from the Savage Worlds core rulebook, but they are still part of G&G so now they are defined here. Clerics of Solis the Sun God, i.e. PCs with Arcane Background (Miracles), now gain a hindrance each time they gain an advance by making offerings to their god, representing their increasing adherence to their sacred vows, but to compensate, they also receive a permanent blessing with each such hindrance, so the precepts and sins in the previous edition are no longer used. As the core rules now have a Flee manoeuvre, G&G now uses that instead of the previous setting rule of the same name. When the heroes find minor treasures, they now find “loot tokens” rather than specific amounts of coinage; the idea is that they just shovel it into their backpacks, and don’t count or divide it until they have escaped the dungeon, whereupon each Loot Token turns into goodies worth 1d6 x 10 gold pieces. Previously, the book listed most monsters by stating what the base creature from the core rulebook was and what changes to make to it (“Giant Lizard: Alligator, remove Aquatic.”). Now, you get a full statblock for each one. This is probably why the new edition is about a dozen pages longer.

I love this version even more than the last one. The Path of Light is a very elegant setting rule, more in tune with the core rules; it’s also nice that the more devout a cleric is in his worship, the more sacred vows and blessings he accumulates. Full monster statblocks reduce the amount of page-flipping I need to do in play, and I hate page-flipping.

Here’s the third full-length adventure from GRAmel for Beasts & Barbarians. It’s a 58 page PDF, part adventure and part setting expansion.

The adventure is in four parts; as ever, I’ll try to minimise spoilers, but it’s not giving much away to tell you that the PCs wake up in a strange place with no memory of how they got there, and their objectives are to figure out what happened to them and find their way home. My experience so far is that each part in one of these adventures takes about four hours for my group to get through, give or take, and since that’s how long our weekly session lasts, I’ll get about a month’s worth of adventuring out of Green World.

The adventure takes up about 30 pages, after which we get expansions to the Beasts & Barbarians setting. There are a dozen or so new beasts and NPCs, and a 14 page section on demons, those who worship them, and those who fight them. Amongst other things, this explains what the enigmatic Stylites are actually doing.

As ever with Umberto Pignatelli’s adventures, Green World makes full and clever use of classic Swords & Sorcery tropes; Conan would be right at home here. In this case, we have damsels in distress, vile creatures bent on consuming same, demon-worshipping savages, and a lost world.

Some foreshadowing is useful in running the adventure; I’d recommend doing that several sessions in advance.

It’s also worth noting that the B&B adventures played in sequence show a natural progression northwards and eastwards through the game setting, and that some of the smaller adventures fit into it. So far, I’d say the logical progression is: Death of a Tyrant, Citadel of the Winged Gods, The Skinner of Syranthia, Green World, The Carnival at Nal Sagath, Wolves in the Borderlands, and The Cliff Queen’s Court. Vengeance of the Branded Devils could come at the end of that arc, at a stretch, although it’s intended as the introductory scenario. If you start the heroes at Seasoned, as recommended, and award the usual two experience per session, they’d be well into Heroic by that point.

Rating: 5 out of 5. I was really started to feel jaded, and this series of adventures has perked me up nicely.

I bought this as I was looking for inspiration for new and interesting traps to spring on my players, and it delivered.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Numerous new traps, with plausible mechanisms, well-illustrated.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Exactly as described, a system for running PBEM campaigns.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Matched product description exactly; some interesting ideas.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Useful guide for the True20 Narrator setting up a campaign. Contains rules for creating your own Roles for the game, with new core abilities, plus detailed guidelines and rules for four different genres of game.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Situational and character archetypes in the Fantasy section; equipment construction rules in the SF section; insight into how Roles are created and balanced.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Nothing!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

If you've got this far, you probably know that Dragonstar is a science-fantasy d20 setting mixing starships and lasers with pegasi and orcs, where dragons rule the galaxy and the other races are subservient to them. Imagine a cross between D&D, Star Wars, and Warhammer 40,000, and you'll get the gist of it.

Where the Starfarer's Handbook focusses mostly on PCs, the Guide to the Galaxy is more for the Dragonstar GM. It includes the history of the galaxy in brief, an overview map showing key worlds, essays on the laws, royal houses, trade, organisations and politics of the Dragon Empire, religion and the gods, and so on. Scattered throughout as sidebars are statblocks for stock (or interesting) NPCs. Next the book details two locations (a star system and a space station) where the PCs can begin their adventures. Then there are chapters on magic items and monsters, and an extensive section on adapting the d20 core fantasy rules for hazards like radiation and explosive decompression.

Finally, we have star system generation rules, a discussion of the various types of Dragonstar campaigns, and a sample adventure.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The sheer audacity of the base premise - a star empire run by dragons and populated by D&D races - and the way that this has been logically extrapolated into a rich, detailed setting.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Heavy reliance on the D&D core rulebooks. However, the designers are completely open and upfront about that, so no complaints.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Quick20 promises a d20 fantasy RPG in under 10 pages, and delivers on that - in fact, if you lose the cover and OGL, it does so in 7 pages. In so short a space, there is no room for monsters (they are in a separate PDF, Monsters and Fantasy Races, in the same download) or guidance for the Game Master, so I feel this game is better suited for someone already familiar with other RPGs. The monster expansion includes 10 standard monsters, rules for generating more, and the usual PC races - dwarf, elf, etc.

In some ways it is similar to, though simpler than, True20 (I don't imply plagiarism here, both are simplifying OGL d20 and there are only so many ways to do that). Damage saves replace hit points, ability die modifiers replace the abilities themselves, and magic is 'collapsed' into a smaller number of spells, each with broader powers and more options - I like that very much in both.

Quick20 differs in replacing feats and skills with point pools based on the character's role (class) and level. It also provides some guidance on when to advance characters.

This will be an ideal game to stuff in the travel bag and play in a hotel or airport.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Does exactly what it promises. Good for gaming while travelling (but would need an experienced GM).<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Structure relies on numbered paragraphs. Character hook refers to table on p. 2, couldn't find table.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Zooms in on the Temple Ward of 0One's Great City map, giving building plans for five of the temples there, each with its own distinct architectural style.

I didn't like the idea of a god called the Shiny Lord, but that's just a nitpick.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Nice building plans.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Good skirmish map for Star Wars Minis or roleplaying generally. Same style and colour scheme as their installation tiles.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Good skirmish map. Nice colour scheme.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

While fantasy tiles are easy to find, this is the first SF tileset I've found that I liked. They're good for mapping installations, or portions of very large ships; I hope that some future set will include a bridge tile of some sort.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Colourful, nicely-drawn tiles.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Would like a small ship bridge tile as well.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

A stock fantasy city, nicely laid out and drawn. Poring over the maps themselves and the keys gave me lots of ideas for games I could run. I liked being able to print out the keys, section maps and overview map separately, and the blank section for adding/changing locations.

The only quibble I have is that I couldn't see a ground scale; however, once I had Tower of Janazar as well, a ruler and some simple arithmetic fixed that. I suppose the ground scale might vary depending on how big the population of your city is.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Nice map. Gave me lots of ideas for scenarios. Generic setting not tied to any specific game world.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Found it hard to figure out the ground scale.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

A single room from one level of the Dungeon Under the Mountain, with inhabitants and backstory. The inhabitants are detailed with stats for several different encounter levels.

I like the idea of having "drop-in" modules for the DUTM like this, that I can buy or not. This one didn't really gel for me, but that probably won't stop me getting some of the others.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The idea of treating DUTM rooms this way.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Encounter didn't suit my group.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Exactly what I expected: A big dungeon level, ready to stock with monsters and treasure. Good use of PDF features, especially printer-friendly background options. It's also nice to be able to print off various parts of the dungeon at several different scales, to give an overview and detailed area sheets for the DM. Looks like you can print at 1" = 5' scale too, but haven't tried that.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: "Rule the Dungeon" feature.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Nice tile maker. Highly portable as only Acrobat is needed to use it - no need to install something like Gridsmith or Dundjinni. Good for creating "fill-in" tiles between other purchased tiles, or for creating new ones.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Eliminates need to have a dungeon drawing programme on my office PC :-)<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Would be nice to have some way of saving tiles.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Another selection of well-presented 8x5" dungeon tiles from 0One Games.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Good illustrations, easy to use<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Large amount of white space around each tile - is it possible to get two on one page of the PDF to reduce wastage?<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>