[Review] "Advanced Mutant Companion" Supplement For Mutant Future

Those who frequent my blog know that it started as a Mutant Future resource. (The supplements I've released for it are testament to that!) Although my focus and tastes have changed over the years, I will ALWAYS support and trumpet any product that builds upon the gonzo post-apocalyptic goodness of Mutant Future. Today, I'm examining the Advanced Mutant Companion -- a Mutant Future supplement by A. Hagen that offers new rules and additions to the armageddon anarchy of a mutant gone wild!

Unlike other Mutant Future supplements I've seen (and personally written), the Advanced Mutant Companion doesn't give you new creatures and encounters for your game's world. Instead, the Companion presents new ways to build up your initial player characters. Within the 39 pages of the supplement, you'll encounter:

• Five new character races, including cyborgs, aliens, and wasteland wanderers who are MUCH more twisted than normal. The Companion also offers some new twists for your starting mutants and pure humans.
• All PCs had to have started somewhere, so an interesting Backgrounds system is introduced. What your character did before The End will benefit him with new skills and abilities that may come in handy in the Badlands.
• Speaking of skills, a Feats system is also presented that offers more benefits and role-playing chances. There are several subcategories of Feats, including Combat, Survival, Prestige, Resource, Dramatic, and Mutation. A handy Advancement Chart takes the Backgrounds and Feats into consideration, for the ML who implements these into their own games.
• Speaking of mutations, there are 74 new mutations to warp and twist your PCs! And rather than having these as separate abilities, the new mutations have been placed in the original Mutant Future mutation tables, so you can roll on one all-encompassing mutation chart for even more degeneration!

I'm pretty pleased with what's here, as I've often thought a rules supplement to Mutant Future was a product long missing from the product line. There is enough here to inspire Mutant Lords who are looking to add some new twists to their home games. And the product is only $2! Sniderman says check it out!

[Review] "The Fungus Forest" Adventure For OSR-Compatable RPGs

I'm always on the lookout for a good adventure -- one that encompasses an unusual setting and give me as a GM plenty of options to vex and befuddle my players. One such megasetting is The Fungus Forest, a PWYW OSR-compatible adventure setting by Lee Reynoldson and Carl Nash. One note: Carl was kind enough to send me a review copy of the adventure to peruse and review.

This sizable adventure is 71 pages long and is compatible with Original, Basic, and Advanced versions of "the world's most popular fantasy RPG," so you can pretty much run it with any classic RPG or the myriad of clones and remakes we now have available. (Heck, this could be used for an awesome Mutant Future adventure as well.) The Fungus Forest takes place in a sprawling underground complex of caves, caverns, and crevasses created by a rushing underground river that has shaped the tunnels and rooms over thousands of years. Inside this complex, mold, mildew, and fungi of every size and shape have take root, bestowing the nickname found on the cover of the adventure. This place is HUGE. It encompasses more than 100 areas to explore covering well over 1 million square feet. (I did the math, and it checks out.) Just take a look at the map...

(The image here is deliberately small and out of focus to keep spoilers minimal.) 

The reasons the players might stumble across The Fungus Forest are left to the referee. In fact, a handy Rumor Chart might give them the impetus they need to seek it out. (But do the players ever really need a reason to go delving?) Once in the depths, there are plenty for them to investigate:

• There are seven different factions warring for control over the underworld kingdom: the fey, the goblins, the shroom-folk, and more...
• There are unusual and unique creatures to thwart or befriend (mostly thwart)...
• Fabulous riches await the brave and foolhardy, including the key to immortality!

My favorite adventures have always been the underground cave ones, but I've often found them to be somewhat lacking in "stuff to do." That isn't a problem with The Fungus Forest, as there are plenty of opportunities and encounters to last your players quite a while. (I'm deliberately avoid spoilers in this review, so excuse the vagueness.) And, in keeping with the fungus theme, there is also a Random Fungus Generator for a GM to create a new interesting 'shrooms on the fly (as well as the magical properties they may possess). Eight pages of unique creatures fill the back pages of the book, and a sizable fold-out map of the complex is also included.

Oh, and did I mention that this sprawling complex is pay what you want? So just a few dollars in donation will net you a 70+ page megadungeon. (Or download for free and pay later once you've had a chance to see for yourself!) Sniderman says, go check it out by clicking the link here or clicking the cover above!

Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols Issue 7 Now Out!

After a two-year hiatus, one of my favorite independently-created RPG 'zines is back! The long-awaited Issue 7 of Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols is now out!

Picking up when Issue 6 left off, in this issue you'll find:

• An interview with Jennell Jaquays about the early days of RPG zine production!
• Part 7 of the mega-dungeon Beneath the Ruins, where the players will explore The Pools of Pus!
• A quick-fast DM city map of Duren!
• Magical Items of Interest to enchant and vex your PCs!
• And a new character race, the mysterious Tong!

Issue 7 of Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols is $5.00 shipped in the U.S., $6.50 to Canada, and $8.00 international. Although Issues 1-6 are sold out, you can score a compilation of the entire WMLP library at Lulu in both print and PDF. Sniderman says, "Getcher copy right HERE."

[GameHack] Improved Character Playing Pieces For Wayward Board Game

Here at The Savage AfterWorld, I'm always coming up with little DIY projects for my favorite boardgames. I refer to these projects as "GameHacks". This weekend's GameHack is for one of my favorite boardgames of recent years, "Wayward: The Choose Your Own Adventure Boardgame," which I reviewed earlier this year.

One element I really admire is the look of the game. The gameboard is a thing of beauty with myriad colors and details shining throughout the artwork. Just take a look at a few rooms of the dungeon:

But although the gameboard is amazing to look at, the playing pieces -- although nicely sculpted -- are a bit too bland for my tastes. Each of the players are the exact same sculpt, with the only difference being the color. Also, each player's gold-tracking piece is identical to their gameboard piece which feels a bit flat to me.

See what I mean? 

I wanted player pieces that were just as exciting as the game itself. Figures that looked like they came from a fantasy adventure game. Then it dawned on me -- that's precisely what D&D 4e was all about: nifty-looking figures moving around on a gameboard of sorts. So I went to Noble Knight, and bought a small assortment of single loose D&D 4e miniatures -- the ones made of plastic and pre-painted. Once they arrived, I painted the ring around the base with a unique color. Then, stopping by the dollar store, I bought a cheap chess set and painted the pawns with a matching color to act as the respective player's gold-tracking icon. Here's the results:

Now my game's playing pieces are as dynamic as the game itself. I think I paid less than $2 for each figure and the pawns were literally one dollar. I already had the paints at home so, all said, this project cost me less than $20. The D&D figures work well with the game, and I can see them being repurposed for other games of a similar theme. So look for me with my Wayward game set at a convention near you!