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I was thinking that it would be an actual tome, with some content. Nope. Jus a picture of the cover. Black and white, and not particularly compelling. That's all. For four dollars. Complete ripoff.
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Nice and creepy, just the sort of peering face to give you nightmares!
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A beautiful close-up of a female face - but does she say 'Scared' to you?
I'm not sure. That finger-sucking pose is one I am told that is viewed as quite sexy, if in a somewhat sleazy way - without the caption of 'Terror Rising' I would probably have surmised it was a sketch of a sex worker.
Whatever, it is a strong image. Perhaps she's worried - some people gnaw their fingers when concerned. It is quite haunting, too. What has she seen or heard?
This one isn't likely to make a character portrait, but it could be someone spotted peering out of a window who gives a clue as to whatever it is that the party is in search of...
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Here is a vampire unafraid to show his age... and all the creepier for it!
A well-drawn 'old man' bald head and face with the flesh drawn away, exposing his fangs; and wearing a red gown with gold embroidery - possibly a mage's gown, after all a vampire this old must have accumulated a lot of lore.
He can easily be imagined manipulating events from behind the scenes, sending younger and more physically-capable vampires out to do his bidding, perhaps training the most promising. Seldom seen even in vampire society, he probably is not known to the world at large and his existence is known to few outside his inner circle.
A nice addition to the collection, now to write some devious plots that he may be behind!
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This one gave me goosebumps. It's creepy. I'll save it for our next session of VtM or Shock. The thing is those staring eyes that penetrates you and make you fell but a small insect. Then there is the overall feeling with ash shades and bloodred clothing. Gives the monster a feel of age and power. Very nice work!
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I read through this book and it is a fascinating world. I love the HP Lovecraft/Clark Ashton Smith feel. If you like the rpg Call of Cthulhu or Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, you will love this book.
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Classic, atmospheric mummy sketch - perfect for anything from pulp to dungeon crawl to horror...
And he looks like he's just about to jump out at you!
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Whether you want to scare your poker partners rigid, appreciate a bit of neat art or want an appropriate-looking deck of cards for playing Dark Aeons or another RPG that uses cards, these are well worth a look.
The image presented for this product is the card back. The fronts have the same border and colour-scheme, with simple designs for the suit cards. Naturally, with the face cards and jokers, Bree Orlock has let her creativity loose with some quite fascinating and stunning designs.
One Joker, for example, is a really creepy eye surrounded by tentacles. If you are enjoying a glass whilst playing cards, you'll probably think they are writhing! The King of Spades is a fanged Devil complete with horns... and I think the King of Hearts is a transvestite. And if Cthulhu ever wanders around in casual clothes with a couple of handguns he modelled for the King of Clubs...
The Queens are all suitably sultry ladies of darkness and the Jacks are a tough-looking crew.
Nice, stylish and creepy. The print version should be epic.
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If you like art but - not being a publisher - don't want to buy 'stock art' this is well worth acquiring.
Thirty-eight full-page glorious pieces from the creativity of Bree Orlock.
Sit back and enjoy... I shall :)
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A fine selection of weapons aimed at fairly low-tech aliens... being a pole arm, two swords and a handgun all of somewhat exotic shape but definitely designed with mayhem in mind.
They are nicely-drawn - if I every try this they never end up in proportion! - and are provided in both colour and greyscale. They'd make nice illustrations in the 'weapons' section of an equipment book or even on weapon cards or personal inventory sheets.
The accompanying licence is clear (and generous!): basically you may use them commercially or privately as you please provided you give the artist credit and don't merely stick them in an art collection. And - this is one of my pet peeves - you can see the licence terms before you buy, by means of a link in the product description, as well as getting a copy in your download!
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A real gem... particularly if you, like me, run 'cod-archaeology' adventures in which hidden secrets lead to high adventure.
This image - in full colour and greyscale versions - hints at all manner of hidden knowledge with wierd symbols that are tantalisingly like letters, if only you happened to know the script.
If you are running a contemporary or future game, heck, even a fantasy one, there's bound to be somewhere suitable for this: a wizard might have it on his door, it's found at a dig site or on a strange alien space station...
The possibilities are endless, and it looks good too!
The licence is straightforward if written in a rather pompous style, my only complaint is that the text is not available before you make your purchase - a minor nit-pick as you can do most anything with it (except put it in a collection of art for resale) provided you give the artist a credit.
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Four quite interesting weapons here, all with a fluidly organic appearance that looks quite alien.
There are two firearms - one longarm and one sidearm - a sword and a battle axe. If you wonder about the latter two, consider a boarding action in space. You do not want projectile weapons making holes and letting all your air out!
They are nicely drawn and could serve to illustrate a weapons list or even feature on your character sheet or reference cards to show just what you are packing!
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I have to say I love this game for a variety of reasons. One of the main ones is the blending of science and supernatural elements that melded extremely well together that in many ways outdoes, in my opinion, most other Lovecraftian games. Instead of making the Old Ones some unkillable monstrosities they are treated as being from another universe that just possess secrets and knowledge that others don't.
And it is this undercurrent of science that in many ways is its’ best selling point as instead of everything being magical, most beings possess psychic powers. The other aspect is that it has several core races and does not over complicate things with hundreds of preternatural races, unlike other RPG’s.
The world is lavishly created and goes into an abundance of detail, with eighty pages of history / world-building that is clearly designed for player and GM immersion. In addition to this there are several different factions to which you can be allied to. The US Government is also partially aware of what’s going, plus Nazi’s that have a Fourth Reich that are working from the shadows.
Did I mention the Nazi’s?
Although sometimes you do get a bit of information overload – but that is not always a bad thing as it allows you to pick and choose which bits you wan to keep, and which parts to leave out.
This is, for me anyway, very much a conspiracy thriller type of game – in the guise of a Dan Brown book where the players may be those working in the shadows but then again so too are many others – or not. So in a sense it is part action, and part thinking game which emphasises actual roleplay and not so much about rolling dice or drawing cards. In essence, it is one of the few interactive games, which to me seem to be somewhat of a dying breed.
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Ties that Bind is far and away the easiest to use of the several scenarios that exist in this gaming system. It is a fun, easy to play scenario that really will be equally enjoyable for the novice as for the experienced gamer in RPGs. Once again nice artwork and layout featuring some classic HPL references for those that appreciate them. This is a great alternative to traditional sword and sorcery roleplay, and I give it the thumbs up!
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DA:TAC is a sophisticated gaming system and will undoubtedly be a good addition to the aresenal of experienced gamers. It may proove a little too complex for novices, but it is jam packed with ideas that can easily be ported to any other system of choice. Beginners would still benefit form the material contained therein, although may not be able to utilize it in entirety to full effect. All in all, well worth the purchase price, and definitely useful to veteran gamers wanting to try something a little different than the classic sword and sorcery.
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