The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The Realm of Shadows

by John H. Crowe, III

Pagan Publishing 5536 25th Avenue, NE Seattle, WA 98105-2415 paganpub@aol.com http://www.tccorp.com

$20.95

204 pgs, perfect bound

Grade: B+

I found myself at an unusual disadvantage in reviewing this product: I have no moral objection to people eating dead bodies. For some reason, this just doesn't bother me. Perhaps this is symptomatic of the breakdown of societal mores that the ghouls hope to bring about in Realm of Shadows.

Realm of Shadows is set in the early 1940s. The investigators do not, I am happy to say, discover that the mythos is behind Hitler; indeed, they are not expected to get directly involved in World War II. However, a timeline of world events is provided so that Keepers can remind the players of the war unfolding in the background, and the investigators may find that travelling to French Guiana will prove hazardous to their health for reasons that have nothing to do with their foes.

These foes are ghouls, often ignored or used for comedic value in CoC scenarios. The ghouls of Realm of Shadows are no pushovers, however. The first scenario starts simply enough: The investigators are asked to find a doctor's missing wife and child. However, the doctor is not what he seems. A useful sidebar explains some of the ways the doctor may pique the investigators' suspicions, pointing out the difference between today's social conventions and those of the 1940s.

Having dealt with the doctor one way or another, the investigators must be prompted to look deeper into the affairs of the ghouls. Several ways of prompting the investigators are suggested, and while the links between the first scenario and the rest of the campaign could be stronger, there are enough suggestions that the GM should not have to warp coincidence too egregiously.

The second scenario will reveal the extent of the ghoul cult in Greenfield, Massachusetts. From here, there are enough clues for the investigators to follow the ghouls to the Dreamlands in the third scenario, and to French Guiana in the fourth. It is possible to play these scenarios in either order. The Dreamlands scenario is particularly good; the ghouls are on home territory here, in a city where it is accepted that the dead will be eaten. Investigators who think that they will be able to rouse oppressed humans to revolt against the ghoul priests will be in for a nasty surprise.

Players are given a great deal of freedom to direct the course of events; nothing is guaranteed to happen once the game begins. Realm of Shadows considers as many options as possible, and it relates several anecdotes from the playtest. I approve of this. The anecdotes do not take up much space, but they give Keepers an idea of how to present the material.

And there is a lot of material here. Possible side adventures are provided, and there are plenty of handouts of high quality. There is a bibliography, as well as background material on the ghouls, their plans, and their spells and ceremonies. There is also a good section about creating investigators, suggesting that players be allowed to place their skill points wherever they wish.

Realms of Shadows is a sequel to Pagan Publishing's Coming Full Circle. It is not necessary to have Coming Full Circle to run Realms of Shadows, but I found the constant references to it somewhat irritating even though I own Coming Full Circle. I suspect that I would not have minded so much if there were a short section, perhaps only a paragraph, at the beginning of the book explaining the connection between the two products, and perhaps a sentence on the back cover.

Finally, no review of Realm of Shadows would be complete without stating that it is illustrated by the one and only Blair Reynolds. His art is extremely disturbing. This makes it ideal for Realm of Shadows, a product which is intended for mature gamers.

Realm of Shadows is not the best product Pagan Publishing has ever produced -- that's a toss up between Golden Dawn and Delta Green -- but to say this is to say that Realm of Shadows is still a cut or three above most other rpg products. This is one I would have used my own money to buy if I had not gotten a review copy.

Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit

by John H. Crowe, III

$9.00??

A+

This is beautiful. The Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit has all of the handouts for Realm of Shadows. True, all handouts the Keeper needs can be found in Realm of Shadows itself, and the quality of the handouts in that book is high indeed. However, the quality of the handouts in the Player Aid Kit is higher.

The "photographs" look like photographs; one journal excerpt is written on parchment-like paper. Newspaper articles and significant excerpts from books have text on the back. This text is not related to the campaign, but provides versimilitude.

Nine dollars may seem a lot to pay for an envelope full of props, but take it from a notorious penny-pincher: This is worth every cent. If I had not gotten a review copy, I would have put my nine bucks on the table at once.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Realm of Shadows / The Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit
Author: John H. Crowe, III Category: game Company/Publisher: Pagan Publishing Cost: $20.95/$9.00 (?) Page count: 204 / N/A Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 11/14/97. Genre tags: none	The Realm of Shadows by John H. Crowe, III Pagan Publishing 5536 25th Avenue, NE Seattle, WA 98105-2415 paganpub@aol.com http://www.tccorp.com $20.95 204 pgs, perfect bound Grade: B+ I found myself at an unusual disadvantage in reviewing this product: I have no moral objection to people eating dead bodies. For some reason, this just doesn't bother me. Perhaps this is symptomatic of the breakdown of societal mores that the ghouls hope to bring about in Realm of Shadows. Realm of Shadows is set in the early 1940s. The investigators do not, I am happy to say, discover that the mythos is behind Hitler; indeed, they are not expected to get directly involved in World War II. However, a timeline of world events is provided so that Keepers can remind the players of the war unfolding in the background, and the investigators may find that travelling to French Guiana will prove hazardous to their health for reasons that have nothing to do with their foes. These foes are ghouls, often ignored or used for comedic value in CoC scenarios. The ghouls of Realm of Shadows are no pushovers, however. The first scenario starts simply enough: The investigators are asked to find a doctor's missing wife and child. However, the doctor is not what he seems. A useful sidebar explains some of the ways the doctor may pique the investigators' suspicions, pointing out the difference between today's social conventions and those of the 1940s. Having dealt with the doctor one way or another, the investigators must be prompted to look deeper into the affairs of the ghouls. Several ways of prompting the investigators are suggested, and while the links between the first scenario and the rest of the campaign could be stronger, there are enough suggestions that the GM should not have to warp coincidence too egregiously. The second scenario will reveal the extent of the ghoul cult in Greenfield, Massachusetts. From here, there are enough clues for the investigators to follow the ghouls to the Dreamlands in the third scenario, and to French Guiana in the fourth. It is possible to play these scenarios in either order. The Dreamlands scenario is particularly good; the ghouls are on home territory here, in a city where it is accepted that the dead will be eaten. Investigators who think that they will be able to rouse oppressed humans to revolt against the ghoul priests will be in for a nasty surprise. Players are given a great deal of freedom to direct the course of events; nothing is guaranteed to happen once the game begins. Realm of Shadows considers as many options as possible, and it relates several anecdotes from the playtest. I approve of this. The anecdotes do not take up much space, but they give Keepers an idea of how to present the material. And there is a lot of material here. Possible side adventures are provided, and there are plenty of handouts of high quality. There is a bibliography, as well as background material on the ghouls, their plans, and their spells and ceremonies. There is also a good section about creating investigators, suggesting that players be allowed to place their skill points wherever they wish. Realms of Shadows is a sequel to Pagan Publishing's Coming Full Circle. It is not necessary to have Coming Full Circle to run Realms of Shadows, but I found the constant references to it somewhat irritating even though I own Coming Full Circle. I suspect that I would not have minded so much if there were a short section, perhaps only a paragraph, at the beginning of the book explaining the connection between the two products, and perhaps a sentence on the back cover. Finally, no review of Realm of Shadows would be complete without stating that it is illustrated by the one and only Blair Reynolds. His art is extremely disturbing. This makes it ideal for Realm of Shadows, a product which is intended for mature gamers. Realm of Shadows is not the best product Pagan Publishing has ever produced -- that's a toss up between Golden Dawn and Delta Green -- but to say this is to say that Realm of Shadows is still a cut or three above most other rpg products. This is one I would have used my own money to buy if I had not gotten a review copy. Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit by John H. Crowe, III $9.00?? A+ This is beautiful. The Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit has all of the handouts for Realm of Shadows. True, all handouts the Keeper needs can be found in Realm of Shadows itself, and the quality of the handouts in that book is high indeed. However, the quality of the handouts in the Player Aid Kit is higher. The "photographs" look like photographs; one journal excerpt is written on parchment-like paper. Newspaper articles and significant excerpts from books have text on the back. This text is not related to the campaign, but provides versimilitude. Nine dollars may seem a lot to pay for an envelope full of props, but take it from a notorious penny-pincher: This is worth every cent. If I had not gotten a review copy, I would have put my nine bucks on the table at once. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Realm of Shadows / The Realm of Shadows Player Aid Kit