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Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
by A customer [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/06/2017 13:03:34

Fun to Say, Fun to Play!

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AS&SH) must have one of the best names given to a game product, ever. The rules to AS&SH appear as a very clean and tidyed-up version (such as using a d12 for thief skills) of the 1st Edition Advanced Game using the OGL. The default setting of Hyperborea is one of the best published. It has a very "pulp fantasy" feel to it as suggested by the box cover illustration by Charles Lang, is self contained, is depicted on a nice hex map, is described in just the right amount of detail to leave room for individualization and it lends itself well to being used with just about any other setting as a pocket universe, lost continent or alternate dimension.

I ran this game as referee some time back for a short campaign for some Pathfinder/5th Ed. players who were curious about Old School play. The players began by making late 19th century Earth PCs who were passengers or crew on a steamship off the coast of Alaska. After some role-play on ship, things turned mysterious and weird. A cold mist, a spectacular northern lights display and a faulty fresh water condensor and they awake bound-up as dog sled passengers in Hyperborea. They are taken down off the frozen plateau and traded to some ancient looking Greek speaking folk who worship Athena and Zeus, etc. They quickly learn the language and are taught some local survival skills (class abilities) and start adventuring. They help a village recover some lost kids and become local heroes. While investigating an ancient temple complex, several of the original party perish and are replaced by "locals". The mini-campaign ran a half-dozen or so sessions and we then moved on to something else.

Some of the players remarked they enjoy the "Old School" type rules and classes - they started with just fighters, clerics and magic users, but for replacement characters could choose from several sub-classes as well. The "setting" of Hyperborea generated the most interest and I'll probably re-visit it. The mixture of cultures - vikings, kelts, and ancient Greeks imported from Earth's past with native Hyperboreans, Amazons, and Esquimaux (sound it out!) give quite a lot of variety while keeping the PCs human (mostly). The author, Jeffrey Talanian, states an intent to create a game consistent with the fantastic and weird worlds of R.E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and H.P. Lovecraft. The two spiral bound books in the box are illustrated through-out by Ian Baggley in a manner that definitely adds to the weird, dark and dangerous feel of the game setting. Hyperborea has some ancient high technology roots that also add to its uniqueness. There is the possibility of exploring ancient ruins and discovering lost technologies, if the referee wants to go down that path.

The one area I personally feel could use a little more work is in the area of customizing the rules to the setting, especially regarding magic. AS&SH uses the bog standard Advanced Game magic system and spells, although wisely drops the mundane material components and casting segment complications. The Vancian system is retained however, which carries with it a promise of more predictable magic than a skill-roll outcome, magic point system and suggests a theory of magic as a mental exercise of mostly memorization. It is a bit "tame" for my taste. That aside, Mr. Talanian does include some new "atmospheric" spells such as "black cloud", "cataleptic state", and "mirror, mirror" and does his honest best to describe spell books and the acquisition of spell knowledge as something weird and dangerous. I am sure he gets it, but I think he wanted to stay true to the original game mechanics.

The AS&SH bestiary is a combination of traditional fantasy monsters and the Lovecraftian horrors. Dwarves are monsters, not PCs in AS&SH. Described as greedy and perverse, stunted and misshaped forgers of magic items which they are cursed to be unable to use themselves they remind me of Nibelungen Ring Cycle dwarves. Orcs are the off-spring of a swine daemon and Picts (a race of primitive humans). Tree-men are similar to Ents, otherwise, the usual Tolkien races are missing from AS&SH, but there are still plenty of bi-pedal baddies such as snake-men, ape-men, cave-men and ghouls.

So what is the appeal of AS&SH, besides a fantastic name. The rules are a nice, cleaned up version of the 1st Ed. Advanced Game giving us a game that can be played pretty much as written. The setting of Hyperborea is one of the best published settings I have come across in almost 40 years of gaming and were it not somewhat derivative of certain pulp settings, I'd call it genius. But the derived part is intentional in that it evokes a feel for the source material. There are really two good products here, the game rules and the setting.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
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The Mystery at Port Greely
by Eric F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/05/2016 14:46:43

Missing Fishmongers’ Guild representatives? Strange goings on over in the area of Port Greely? The fish supply to the capital of Hyperborea in dangerous peril and more violent happenings? This looks like a prime opportunity for your PC's to make some gold pieces and get involved in the Mysteries of Port Greely! Where the heck do I begin with The Mystery at Port Greely From North Wind Adventures

for the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg system? Well, its a really nasty & dangerous run of an adventure. This is a mini campaign adventure that peels back a weird & very dangerous layer of Hyperborea based on the HP Lovecraft novel The Shadow Over Innsmouth. But this adventure puts its own AS&SH spin on the proceedings but be warned this is an adventure meant for PC levels of four to six characters of 4th through 6th level. Well after reading through the adventure this morning at four A.M. I can honestly say that this adventure sets the bar very high in terms of quality & investigative danger to the PC's. The set up is classic old school Lovecraftian weirdness right out of the gate;"Until about three years ago, the peculiar town of Port Greely was renowned as a prolific exporter of crustaceans. Then the Greely lobstermen severed all ties with outside partners. Subsequent attempts at renegotiation were shunned. More recently, a small group of Fishmongers’ Guild representatives from the City-State of Khromarium has gone missing in Port Greely, and answers have been less than forthcoming. At present, the Guild seeks answers. It wants to know what became of its representatives, and it wishes to re-establish its lucrative partnership with the Port Greely lobstermen. Your party have been contracted to help resolve The Mystery at Port Greely." Yeah, and that's where things begin to take a left turn into the weird and dangerous world Hyperborea. This adventure places the PC's right into the action straight from the start;" this adventure begins at sea with the party en route to Port Greely, about 120 miles west long the coast from Khromarium." The minute your ship docks is the minute your in the world of the AS&SH version of the Deep Ones. NPC's are well drawn out and robustly detailed with enough room for the DM to make these things their own. The writing here has been created to draw in the PC's and take them into the world of Port Greely with lots of one on one encounters, plenty of urban crawling action, and one on one action with the inhabitants. The encounters are well balanced , tight, and deadly. The events follow a wandering timeline enabling lots of exploration by PC's. There isn't simply one urban crawl adventure location after another in this adventure instead we get into reams of adventure opportunities with plenty of chances for the PC's to die in the middle of Port Greely. The town isn't the only point of horror in this adventure and there is sea travel, dungeon action, investigative opportunities, and much more. The dungeon master get's a boat load of details on the AS&SH version of the Esoteric Order of Dagon and its a very insidious & dangerous menace for campaigns. There's a claustrophobic and rushed sense of panic in certain sections of The Mystery at Port Greely that is going to put the PC's through their paces. Throughout the adventure I could see bits and pieces of the influences of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Henry Kuttner. The adventure complete fills out everything you've ever wanted to know about AS&SH's version of the Deep Ones and in this regard The Mystery at Port Greely also works as a source book for future adventures featuring these Lovecraftian horrors. But is the adventure worth getting into as an AS&SH dungeon master? There's a lot going on under the simmering center of Port Greely and the fact that its within striking distance of the capital of Khromarium makes this a very subtle and rising menace with Hyperborea. That leaves lots of weird questions on the table and lots of opportunity for even more Hyperborean adventure. Is it worth getting into? The answer is yes! Because the adventurers are at a cross point and put on the spot with;" At present, the guild seeks answers. They want to know what became of their representatives, and they wish to reestablish their lucrative partnership with the Port Greely lobstermen. Your party has been contracted to help resolve the mystery at Port Greely." the adventurers are going to find themselves up to their necks in the some very dangerous goings on and then their going to have to escape with their lives if their very lucky. This is a very deadly adventure in places & the cartography is top notch enabling the DM to really bring home the extent of the danger of Deep Ones of Port Greely. This module isn't the end of the mystery its really only the beginning. Five out of five for this one and go grab it! Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Blog Want to see this and other OSR systems supported plus new reviews? Be sure to subscribe to http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
The Mystery at Port Greely
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Rats in the Walls
by Stephen Y. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/07/2016 04:13:25

Out of 14 pages, 10 and a quarter are the content.

An Inn/tavern keeper requestng help from the players, as he has a serious rat problem. Sounds simple enough; not really. Quite a good scenario for beginning players. It appears as a fairly standard 'dungeon crawl', with rats as the main antagonist, and a suprise one at the end.

There are also some secret doors, and the loot (which should keep the players well equipped for a while).

There's also an ending note about a possible were creature - interesting.

The only thing I found that stopped this scenario from getting a 5/5, is on page 7. It shows a map of the dock where the inn/tavern is, and 4 very small floor maps all on one page. I had to zoom the page to 150% to see the maps. These could have been put on a separate page or two to make them bigger, giving a much better view of them.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Rats in the Walls
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Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess
by Eric F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/06/2015 02:41:11

There are times when you want to grab a group of players, some dice, and more then head right over to your favorite table and sit down for your favorite adventure. The Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess From North Wind Adventures for the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg system has everything you could want from a sword and sorcery OSR adventure. The thing reads like a Marvel Conan Seventies comicbook come to life to devour your OSR adventurers. This adventure is part quest, part dungeon crawl, and pulpy high end Hyperborean adventure set on a seldom trodden piece of the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea world and beyond. I love everything about this dense sixty page Hyperborean tour de force; this adventure features everything that you could want out of an AS&SH adventure from the background of the setting of The Forgotten Fane to the brand new Hyperborean elements that this adventure adds to the world. This really isn't simply an another adventure but a full blown add on to the world of Hyperborea. I followed the AS&SH adventure three pack adventure Kickstarter for months. This produced three essential AS&SH adventures; seriously these are not simply adventures but sourcebooks that paint even more setting and background to the AS&SH gaming system. The plot reads like something straight out of the pages of Weird Tales; "More than a month ago, your party found itself in Port Zangerios, where you heard of an Esquimaux thief selling a treasure map. Low on wealth but high in courage, you sought him out. The man turned out to be a fearful ex-slave who had “acquired” the map from his Ixian master. The map is incomplete but shews the Isle of the Serpent in far-off Lemuria, where rests a fabulous treasure called the Feathered Crown of Nanasa (or so thought the Ixian). Pooling your money to purchase the unfinished map, you bought passage on an Amazonian trade ship. After passing through tempests and torrential rains that shimmered with auroral light, you have come to the great city of Jhaman Ket. Now you must seek out the location of the Isle of the Serpent." This is several crawls, an adventure, and a lost world world adventure mini campaign all in one. The adventure paces itself quite nicely someplace between placing the PC's deep into the Hyperborean underworld then switching gears into a weird science fantasy lost world mode that is both deadly and telling at the same time of the wonder of the world of Hyperborea. "Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess" written by Joe Salvador with maps by Monkeyblood Designs, and features all of the dinosaurs featured in the artwork and more. The world is partially Lovecraftian hi jinks, lots of adventurer sword and sorcery action and the whole thing could be deadly unless the PC's think and are very careful. This is an adventure meant for our to six characters of 5th through 7th level and the designers and writer mean it. Seriously straight out of the gate the PC's are going to be challenged and are going to be running for their lives. Much of the action is going to center on the PC's as one encounter after another is going to challenge them on every live. This isn't an adventure your players are going to get up from the table for to go to the bathroom. The encounters are quick and take place without rail roading the PC's into a corner or conclusion. here are reasons for the PC's to be dealing with hell and horrors of the Forgotten Fane at the same time dovetailing their motives deep into the back setting of Hyperborea and that's another place where this adventure shines. This is a mini sourcebook that in sixty pages manages to shove a lot of science fantasy and Lovecraftian goodness into back burner of it. There is at least several weeks worth of play here and in addition with a clever DM miles and miles of campaign adventure hooks to keep this adventure on the DM's nightstand for a long while to come. Because of the set up for The Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess, DM's can add in any of the revers and freebooters of the AS&SH rules set with little problem. The PC's are in for a hell of a time trying to deal with all of the adventure elements. If a party isn't careful this might be their fate at the hands of several factions of serpent people and there is more. But is The Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess actually playable? Yes in spades. This adventure adds in details, bits and pieces to the world of Hyperborea and adds other fragmentary colors to the weird work of art that is Hyperborea itself. Do I think that The Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess is worth getting for the AS&SH system? Yes in spades, this is because the AS&SH three pack are perhaps some of the most essential and important adventures and sourcebooks to come out for the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers Of Hyperborea rpg system.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess
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Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
by Ahimsa K. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/05/2015 12:47:00

I spent years browsing the RPG sections of Powells, not knowing exactly what I was looking for but searching nonetheless.

Every once in a while I would buy something but it was always a disappointment. If only I knew that what I wanted was ASSoH. I like the light setting, the combat rules, and especially the art, but for the me the subclasses are the true treasure of the game.

Text and cart together really create a CAS or REH feel that few games have ever matched. This game is really fantastic; I'd say as good as any RPG ever made.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
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Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes
by Eric F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/22/2015 00:18:10

Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes is one of the latest action packed sword and sorcery adventure titles for The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea and adds a whole new wasteland and desert set of adventure elements to this title. This one of those adventures that was a part of the Astonishing Swordsmen & Swordsmen of Hyperborea's Kickstarter, its also one of the adventures I've been wanting to check out for a very long while now. Real life has been kicking my behind as of late and work has had me tied up lately. But I did make time to dive into the deep end of Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes by AS&SH's author Jeff Talanian . I'm happy to say that it was A.worth the wait and B.does exactly what I thought it would do. The Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes extends the world of Hyperborea by seven league designer boots. We get more background and intrigue into the unique end of Jeff Talanian's version of Hyperborea. And it works out quite nicely for what it does and it does it very well. If the cover looks like an early 80's Marvel Conan style comic birthed into an OSR, it's been done for a reason and that very reason is to echo what this module does. It plays with and revels in the sword and sorcery aesthetic that get's revealed in its plot. "Somewhere in the depths of Diamond Desert lie the skeletal remains of Ymir’s Serpent, a legendary Viking longship. In days of yore, Sigtrygg Forkbeard led his company upriver, piercing the desert’s hostile heart. There the Vikings unearthed a lost mine brimming with green diamonds, but the River Æolus desiccated as the Serpent prepared for launch, and the ship was swallowed by the dunes. Forkbeard and his company were never seen again, but tales of a shimmering Viking ghost ship gliding over the dunes persist to this day." This adventure plays fast as well loose with the players motives & expectations of the legend of the Ghost Ship by weaving its own Hyperborean mythology and legends around Ymir’s Serpent all of the while drawing the PC's deeper and deeper into the adventure while revealing more of the mysteries of Hyperborea's glorious past as well as details about its peoples, details, setting bits, and even more weirdness. In point of fact there is a ton of elements of dungeon crawling, investigation, a bit of plundering, and lots and lots of sword and sorcery action. This adventure adds lot of Hyperborean details and story line to the world of Hyperborea which brings me to the point. This isn't simply another bit of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea but a full blown expansion. Ghost Ship does another trick that original Dungeons and Dragons module series adventures also did at the same time it fleshes out details it also gap fills all of the little bits and pieces about its corner of the Hyperborean setting and world through its adventure encounters, NPC portraits, background details, and game elements. Jeff's adventure adds a three sectional approach to Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes adventure allowing a progression approach to the sword and sorcery elements of the adventure's story line. This isn't a whole bunch of rail roaded adventure elements but a consistent journey that the PC's are put on. But does it live up to the ten dollar price tag? I think so given the way that the Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes is laid out. Here lives are going to be changed and ruined as well as people dying under the heat of the uncaring Hyperborean sun! Wait till this one goes on sale and then grab it. I give this adventure a five out of five because of the balance, weird elements, and original use of its content. If your a sword and sorcery fan this is one to pick up. Even more detail over at the Swords and Stitchery Blog http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-commentary-of-ghost-ship-of.html Eric Fabiaschi Sword and Sorcery Blog



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes
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Beneath the Comet
by Eric F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/14/2015 08:43:52

Lately I've been quietly returning to the shores of Hyperborea with the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg system. After a long and highly successful Kickstarter the AS&SH adventure three pack produced three highly intiguing adventures to the AS&SH product line. Among those was the Beneath the Comet adventure by Ben Ball. This particular adventure adds in lots and lots of new details on the Hyperborea campaign setting that is essential to the world of AS&SH. Beneath The Comet features some wonderful illustrations by Johnathan Bingham, & Del Teigeler along with lots wonderful cartography by Ben Ball, Glynn Seal (monkeyblooddesign.co.uk). The front cover is evocative and well done by Peter Mullen. I went to Jeff Talanian and asked for all three adventures from the AS&SH adventure three pack Kickstarter.

Beneath The Comet was one adventure that jumped out at me and looked very interesting. I was not disappointed when I read it. The basic plot like goes some thing like this;For weeks the Comet has blazed in the sky above Hyperborea, inspiring widespread superstitious dread and fear of some star-borne contagion. Under the light of this harbinger from the Black Gulf, the PCs have come to Bogrest, following a magical treasure map that reveals great wealth buried in the Lonely Heath north of the village. Finding that treasure will be no simple matter, however, for Hyperborea is a weirder and deadlier place than ever beneath the Comet. It is suggested that if this adventure is used with the Hyperborea setting, the default starting point is the small village of Bogrest in the wild depths of the Gal Hills. With some modification, Beneath the Comet could be set in any rustic portion of Hyperborea or any old school campaign. As an adventure set in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 6th through 9th level , it lives up to the challenge. Seriously this is one adventure that in forty eight pages manages to massively expand and fill in the world setting of Hyperborea while giving the DM and players a damn good rip roaring adventure featuring lots of pulpy sword and sorcery action set against the weird vibe of the comet that races over head. Plenty of the challenges and adventure setting encounters are placed against the backdrop of Hyperborea itself, here the land is as much a character as the adventure itself.

There were two things that sprang to mind reading the Beneath The Comet adventure, one how much detail this adventure packs, and how much Hyperborea has expanded in only forty eight pages. There is lots of adventure encounter action but its very well balance across the board enabling the DM to mix and match some elements. This adventure places the PC's center stage of the events of the adventure and brings lots of elements right into the adventure spot light. Some of the encounters are down right dangerous but never frivolously deadly. Beneath The Comet moves things long as adventure events are put together quite nicely. There are elements of dungeon crawling, investigation, a bit of plundering, and more. This adventure is quite unlike the Rats In The Walls AS&SH adventure by Jeffrey Talanian this adventure has a totally different set of parameters; on the hand it serves a solid old school adventure fleshing out its adventure locations, setting information,adventure encounters, and generally fulfilling quite nicely all of its intended adventure goals. But on the other hand Beneath The Comet also fulfills something else quite nicely it serves as a mini source book fleshing out all of the little details and campaign bits of the Hyperborean setting. I've been quickly scanning the other adventures in the series and whoa all of them pack in a ton of details and bits about the Hyperborean setting. Beneath the Comet does another trick that original Dungeons and Dragons module series adventures also did at the same time it fleshes out details it also gap fills all of the little bits and pieces about its corner of the Hyperborean setting and world through its adventure encounters, NPC portraits, background details, and game elements. Needless to say this makes Beneath the Comet essential to the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers dungeon master and even perhaps players. It also fleshes out the world of Hyperborea even more making it a living and breathing weird sword and sorcery adventure location, believe me it lives up to the weird end quite nicely. Does the pdf live up to the price tag? Umm perhaps but personally I'd go for a print copy when I get the chance. All in all Beneath the Comet is very,very, well done. Eric Fabiaschi Sword and Stitchery blog



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Beneath the Comet
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Taken from Dunwich
by Michael T. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/20/2015 16:35:16

PHYSICAL PRODUCT This is an 18 page PDF. It's not heavily illustrated but the few illustrations are good and the map layout is very well done. It's also layout out nicely and has a professional look.

INTRODUCTION This was not a free product. But I purchased Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea an was impressed enough to want to see what an adventure would look like.

DESCRIPTION Some local villagers have been kidnapped by the normally non-kidnapping humanoids that live in the mountains nearby. A guy in the village walks up to you and asks for help. There is some nice background to the village and the surrounding area which I like. There is also some 'this-time-its-personal' bits about the villagers who were kidnapped that I like a lot. including a built-in 'stay on the rails' mechanism that is not too intrusive. I appreciate the help.

There is a short trek to the 'dungeon' and a nice Wandering Monster table. I like this as well, it gives a flavor to the region and stretches the adventure to get more bang for the buck.

The dungeon is built into the side of a cliff which is explains why no one else wandered into it.

The dungeon itself bears a strong resemblance to the TSR classic "S3 Expedition to Barrier Peak" so whether your campaign is up for that sort of thing is up to each GM. It definitely fits the "Conan"+"D&D" mashup that is AS&SH however. That said, I'm not sure I want Laser Crossbows in my game.

Some of the encounters are quite clever and the puzzle of stopping the threat is well done. Included are a few notes about what to do if the threat is not stopped which I like as well. It definitely matters if the heroes are successful or not.

There are a few "D&Disms" which may bug you. Ioun stones for example. It's alien and fits the world, but I can't imagine it not causing some issues in a campaign and I can't imagine it being appreciated in a one-shot. This is not a 'introductory' adventure.

OVERALL I liked this product. It fits in perfectly with the world that is Hyberboria as viewed through a Gygaxian lense. Its easy to drop into a world, has a unique and memorable threat.

SHOULD I CHECK OUT THEIR OTHER PRODUCTS? As much as I don't really think Sword & Sorcery and Dungeons and Dragons mesh very comfortably together as they are in AS&SH, their products do have a lot going for them. Very professionally and thoughtfully done. This adventure has impressed me enough to purchase more of their products.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Taken from Dunwich
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Taken from Dunwich
by Eric F. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/12/2015 13:04:59

I've been wrestling with this Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea title for a week solid. The problem is that I don't agree with many of the interpretations of Hyperborea that I've seen. I started looking into AS&SH way back in 2013. After rereading this pulptastic adventure there are several thoughts that go through my demented mind. This adventure brings to the table many of the little adventure nuggets that make AS&SH both eerily familiar and achingly alien at the same time. The adventure seems short on the surface but takes the PC's right into the heart of the Hyperborea of AS&SH. Here the players are thrust right into the heart of the Keltic adventure and Lovecraftian territory. A series of encounters brings the characters into an old school storm of weirdness that brings home the vibe of both AS&SH and the deep end of the sword & sorcery heart of the game. The breakdown according to the product page: Murder, mayhem, and abduction! After the Keltic village of Dunwich is victimized by the vhuurmis, degenerate quasi-men covered in umber-coloured fur, local druids offer land and title to those brave souls who would repair the situation. The vhuurmis are considered witless savages, seemingly incapable of organized incursions, but these particular brutes attacked with purpose and precision, taking men from Dunwich, and slaying any who opposed their black will. Author: Jeffrey Talanian

Art: Ian Baggley and Johnathan Bingham Editing: David Prata Cartography: Andreas Claren

The vhuurmis, quasi-men are given their due in this adventure and really brought into the lime light as both survivors of a lost age and a threat to life as well as limb of the PC's. The action seems to center around their murderous B movie level of sword and sorcery horror but all is not as it seems. The action here is a vortex of both violence and terror that brings home the terror of AS&SH's Hyperborea. There is a vibe of weirdness similar to reading a 70's Conan comic magazine or watching John Carpenter's The Thing from Another World with far more buzzing beneath the surface then simply what is presented here. Taken From Dunwich is meant for AS&SH but could easily be used with AD&D 1st edition or OSRIC. Hell you could even use it with the Lamentations of The Flame Princess rpg with little adjustment but really its more about the introduction of the Hyperborean world from AS&SH. But knowing DM's the way I this adventure is going to get a ton of air play. This module could easily be used with any number of retroclone rpg systems such as Swords and Wizardry, Basic Fantasy role play and others. Note that this would require a full conversion of some of the adventure elements. The Keltic village environments of the adventure reminded me of Scotland under the rule of the Romans. I think that the module captures the look and feel of the desolate landscapes of Robert Howard somewhat. This module mixes the swords and sorcery elements of AS&SH and then adds in the technological factor with a dash of alien weirdness while turning it up to eleven.I have to say I was quite impressed with Taken From Dunwich and I do think its well worth the price of admission. I've run this adventure for friends more then a few times and its provide hours of inspiration time and again. Its one of my favorite pieces that works very well with the backdrop of Hyperborea presented in the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg. Five out of five for me and I'll be coming back to it soon.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
by Mark C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/24/2014 10:14:04

An absolutely great product, I'm not sure how more value could be crammed within these pages. I love the human-centric system and the base/expanded class options. I originally bought the pdfs for AS&SH and then just had to have a hard copy, so I ordered one for my nightstand. Although I plan to run a game of this sometime in the future, some of the material is already working its way into my current campaign, it is an incredibly rich resource to mine. Cthulhu, Burrows-esc high adventure, Amazons, Conan...this game hits all the right epic genres from the 1880's to the present.

The generic things that make pdfs/game books easy to use have not been ignored either. Mundane things like font size and layout are superb and the books are well edited.

Definitely a 5 out of 5 product!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
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Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
by Martin K. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 05/07/2014 10:45:21

AS&SH is the game I've been searching for, for about the last 10 years. It's basically a revised version of the 1st Edition of AD&D, but edited in a way that I was actually able to understand. And not just "able to", learning how to play and run this game was childs play, no problem at all. I've always wanted to run AD&D, but was never able to grasp what the books where trying to tell me.

I really like how the rules deal with attribute checks and thief skills, and initative is both easy to understand, yet adds quite some complexity to the game. Instead of multiclassing, the game has several subclasses in addition to the basic four, many of which combine features of other classes. The only things I would have done differently would have been giving a page to nonhuman characters (which don't exist in the prepackaged setting, but might in other worlds) and converting armor class to positive values (which you can easily do yourself. I agree with some others who said it might have been a good idea to use a different magic system for Sword & Sorcery, but that might have been a bit too different for some players. Otherwise a remarkable game and my personal system of choice.

And the price for the pdf is more than a bargain.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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AS&SH Character Name Generator
by Jim M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/14/2014 20:38:58

A nifty little name list/generator specifically for AS&SH that is also a goldmine for other game systems. The names range from historically plausible (Jofursteinn Manason - Viking) to exotically fantastic (Goozon Slann - Hyperborean). I recommend checking out AS&SH for its 30's pulp atmosphere, but even if you don't, the price of $0 for this name generator leaves you no excuses: Just download it!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
AS&SH Character Name Generator
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All Too Familiar
by John T. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/28/2014 12:18:59

While I would not consider this to be a complete tome of familiars, it was interesting. I read through it and for the most part, I agree with the stats and information given.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
All Too Familiar
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Taken from Dunwich
by Matt P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/14/2014 13:51:12

An excellent adventure for what I consider to be the best of the retro clones. If you like your gaming simple and serious, this is for you!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Taken from Dunwich
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Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
by Travis M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 02/04/2014 20:14:08

Read my full review here:

http://theroleplayingrambler.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/astonishing-swordsmen-and-sorcerers-of-hyperborea-first-impressions/



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Original Edition)
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