for 7th Sea by Kevin P. Boerwinkle with additional writing by Desiree Cabera, Meghan Neef, and Allen Wilcox

Alderac Entertainment Group

48 pages, perfect bound

$11.95

ISBN 1-887953-36-1

Grade: B-

reviewed by Lisa Padol

Looking over my backlog of review material (it is heinous what wrist problems and job shifts will do to one's mental health and free time), focusing on just what I had at least read, I chose Tangled Strands as the most important one to let people know exists.

So, you've started a swashbuckling campaign. Never mind the system for a moment; what do you do for adventures? If you're at a loss for the answer, I recommend Tangled Strands. It is intended to be as four linked scenarios, but each one could be run independently by changing a few of the names.

The first scenario pits the PCs against a group of bandits. The second involves their attempt to rescue condemned man from his execution. The third sets the PCs against brutes running a protection racket, while the final scenario has them trying to free a woman from the villain who kidnapped her.

The bandits in the first scenario are not remarkable, but their history and tactics are fleshed out enough to make them interesting. They could be fleshed out further, and if the GM were so inclined, this scenario could become a campaign where the PCs become the bandits' nemeses.

The opening of the adventure is a little weak. The scene where the GM establishes the setting and goal is too long and over scripted. The PCs are expected to watch a man being approached separately by two people. I would either revise and shorten the scene or expect some interference from the PCs. The PCs are expected to join forces with the man they just watched, Ramon, and his swashbuckling paramour, Helena. The authors do consider the possibility that the PCs will be suspicious, or even try to detain the couple, as Ramon used to be a one of the bandits. However, it is assumed that the PCs either will not want to or will not be able to capture or kill the pair. They further assume that the PCs will be on friendly terms with Ramon and Helena by the end of the scenario so that the PCs will be motivated to help when Helena asks for aid rescuing Ramon in the second scenario.

It is possible that the PCs will still not trust the pair or that they will have captured or killed Ramon and Helena. It is also possible that the GM does not want to link the scenarios in the book. Neither case is a problem: Simply have some other woman beg the heroic PCs to rescue her lover from the authorities before he is publicly executed.

This is a classical Zorro or Scarlet Pimpernel set up. Again, the obvious details are there for the GM: How many routes are there to the place of execution, and how many patrols will be encountered on each route? The information is right there, and there is a map of the immediate area of the execution. The scene leading up to the execution is described, right down to the swaggering lieutenant's gloating speech about how the villagers do not appreciate all that he has done for them. I do advise GMs to expect an interruption here, but the details included will let players and GMs alike get a clear picture of the scene.

The third adventure does not include Helena or Ramon, but focuses on a group of merchants being terrorized by the dreaded Scarred Man, who is running an protection racket. His gang and their tactics are described, and there is a list of all of the businesses threatened. The author does a good job of trying to cover at least the obvious ways the PCs will drive the scenario.

The villain must be available for the final scenario. This is not a problem if the PCs have captured him, but it is possible that they have killed him. The genre conventions of 7th Sea should make this less likely, but if it does happen, well, the Scarred Man of the third scenario is clearly not the same man who appears in the fourth. Indeed, the fourth scenario can be run in isolation, for what group of heroes would balk at rescuing a woman from her sinister captor?

The woman is Helena, and the Scarred Man's motive for kidnapping her is interesting and believable. His history, Helena's, and Ramon's are all tied together here. Players who refuse to go along with the premise of this scenario -- or any of the other three -- probably should not be playing in a swashbuckling campaign to begin with.

Stats are provided for all of the major characters, and after the final scenario, there are ideas for using them in the future. GMs can get a lot of use from Tangled Strands. It does not go into exhaustive detail, but I suspect this makes the essential details it does include easier to find during a session.

The illustrations fit the material, and, as is usual for AEG, there is no bimbo art. Indeed, one of the women shown is very heavyset, as is only proper for the noble wife of a wealthy man. The layout is clean, and there is a refreshing lack of embarrassing typos.

Tangled Strands is not a sparkling, brilliant campaign. It does not need to be. It is a solid, bread and butter supplement, useful for GMs running any kind of swashbuckling campaign, whether they need an evening's adventure or an entire campaign.

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