The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Okay, before I say anything bad about this mini-scenario for the D20 system, I should state the following highlights: first, it is only $2.49, less than the cost of most comic books, and it takes at least as long to read. Second, it is only 16 pages of material (plus the covers), and so you can't really expect anything too brilliant here in such limited space. In other words, you should sort of expect that you get what you pay for (which isn't much on both counts).

Now, for the bad stuff. This is a scenario featuring a mad god who is sorry for his nasty ways, and wishes to thwart his younger self from destroying the universe by using the player characters to change history. The PCs, which should average levels 9-12, are now in for a classic high-level dungeon adventure that suffers from way too much "What kind of ridiculously nonsensical trap room can we think of next?" designing and not enough of the, "What kind of coherent environment that makes even the remotest sense?" approach.

Case in point: you have a room in which you need to aquire a key (in fact, you need to find a key in every room to advance to the final stage). To do so, one PC must step up and sacrifice his/her self, which while necessary for the plot (and the PC does get to return at the end) is an inprobable action for a reasonable scenario designed to insure that everyone playing gets a fair shake. In fact, most of the odd puzzles in this little scenario require either that sort of "try and try again" logic in which you simply learn what works by stumbling over what doesn't (such as a room where you open boxes at random to see what happens), or presumes that the PCs will be kind enough to play along with the script. Well, maybe a lot of scenarios have these problems, but that doesn't make it right. If the scenario doesn't assume some room for flex when the PCs come up with the ingenious, here-to-for unimaginable extra solution, then the writer is just fooling himself about the usefulness of his module.

The other problem with this module is a lack of effort in visual imagery and style. This is a very bland dungeon, considering that there are gods and cosmic powers afoot throughout the scenario. The scenario lacks the power to instill a sense of reality about it, as it fails to take the high-falutin' concepts of the plot and carry them out in any meaningful and interesting way. I was running this kind of game eighteen years ago when I was 12, and while it was a blast then, it's just droll in a product that tries to masquerade as a professional scenario.

The Last Gods
The Last Gods Capsule Review by Tori Bergquist on 14/03/01 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 2 (Sparse) Okay, now that I've complained bitterly about The Last Gods weaknesess, let me say that it is possible to buy a cheap mini-module with a half-decent game inside (I've seen at least one I liked). The Last Gods fails to entertain, though if you are new to gaming or not that concerned about the suspense of disbelief a module should generate, then this can be a fun, almost camp little one-night adventure. Just be ready to watch your players get ugly on you when they find out the kind of hoops they'll have to jump through to fulfill the requirements of the mishmash ot traps and tricks. Product: The Last Gods Author: Kevin Wilson Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: D20 system Cost: $2.49 Page count: 16 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 729220830098 SKU: 8309 Capsule Review by Tori Bergquist on 14/03/01 Genre tags: Fantasy	Okay, before I say anything bad about this mini-scenario for the D20 system, I should state the following highlights: first, it is only $2.49, less than the cost of most comic books, and it takes at least as long to read. Second, it is only 16 pages of material (plus the covers), and so you can't really expect anything too brilliant here in such limited space. In other words, you should sort of expect that you get what you pay for (which isn't much on both counts). Now, for the bad stuff. This is a scenario featuring a mad god who is sorry for his nasty ways, and wishes to thwart his younger self from destroying the universe by using the player characters to change history. The PCs, which should average levels 9-12, are now in for a classic high-level dungeon adventure that suffers from way too much "What kind of ridiculously nonsensical trap room can we think of next?" designing and not enough of the, "What kind of coherent environment that makes even the remotest sense?" approach. Case in point: you have a room in which you need to aquire a key (in fact, you need to find a key in every room to advance to the final stage). To do so, one PC must step up and sacrifice his/her self, which while necessary for the plot (and the PC does get to return at the end) is an inprobable action for a reasonable scenario designed to insure that everyone playing gets a fair shake. In fact, most of the odd puzzles in this little scenario require either that sort of "try and try again" logic in which you simply learn what works by stumbling over what doesn't (such as a room where you open boxes at random to see what happens), or presumes that the PCs will be kind enough to play along with the script. Well, maybe a lot of scenarios have these problems, but that doesn't make it right. If the scenario doesn't assume some room for flex when the PCs come up with the ingenious, here-to-for unimaginable extra solution, then the writer is just fooling himself about the usefulness of his module. The other problem with this module is a lack of effort in visual imagery and style. This is a very bland dungeon, considering that there are gods and cosmic powers afoot throughout the scenario. The scenario lacks the power to instill a sense of reality about it, as it fails to take the high-falutin' concepts of the plot and carry them out in any meaningful and interesting way. I was running this kind of game eighteen years ago when I was 12, and while it was a blast then, it's just droll in a product that tries to masquerade as a professional scenario.

The Last Gods