Orcs as an infectious species is an awesome twist on gaming monsters.

Pretty good, not sure what people's issue with the layout is as it seems fine. Some of the art is rather meh but other than that pretty cool system, I like how you combine the different paths to make unique combinations.

Also don't mind having only Human's in the core book as it limits the traveling menagerie of twee races plot contrivances.

Przygoda prosta w kompozycji, niczym punkrockowa piosenka :) Liniowy początek oraz koniec, środek oparty na ciekawych tabelach losowych. Bardzo dobrze oddany klimat świata CWD. Przygodę polecam szczególnie do wprowadzania graczy do świata CWD

Another magnificent work from ra press, this pdf is helping me a lot with beastman encounters, my stock was already sold out lol

For a pre release product, this book rocks. The monster design is chef's kiss. There seems to be another review that misses the ALL CAPS text saying this is pre release, so if reading words is not your thing then I'd steer clear.

This is incomplete with cover art etc missing from the download. The system itself is not as clean a Shadow of the Demon Lord with a lot that does not make sense - like weapons an armour.

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Friends in Need

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Friends in Need System- Shadow of the Weird Wizard Producer- Schwalb Entertainment Price- $2.49 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/475523/Friends-in-Need?affiliate_id=658618
TL; DR- Solid start to a campaign. 98%

Basics- The blacksmith's gone MAD! The kind hearted man has attacked and been contained but why… Can the heroes save the town from some deeper lurking threat?

Mechanics or Crunch- This is a pretty simple adventure, but solid enough to jumpstart a campaign. The adventure has exploration, combat, and social parts to allow the characters of all types to shine. It’s gonna be a bit hard, but Schwalb Entertainment adventures tend to be a bit killer. Complaining about that is like complaining that spicy food is spicy. It’s balanced for what it’s aiming to be, but still fun for those looking to get into the system and maybe even a campaign. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- Again, this is simple but what Schwalb wants in his adventures for this setting. It's heroic with little to no gore and moral ambiguity. It’s just the heroes finding the cause, finding the solution, and killing bad guys along the way. Solid fun for a hero. 5/5

Execution- I like what’s here, but that’s contingent on there being more in the future. Right now, the item this links to is prepublication. If you want some Weird Wizard, then this is a good enough document (it even has a map!) that will get you playing in about 10 minutes. That’s good, but the layout is a bit lacking. Also, and this is a pet peeve, I want pregens. Give me at minimum a party of four with a better option being eight, two of each base class. They don’t even exist on Schwalb Entertainment’s website. That would make getting this play started even faster, and make getting my friends in even easier. That said, for the price you get a solid adventure with a map to explore. It’s good, but when fully published, it will even be better! 4.75/5

Summary- I do love me some “shadow” system by Schwalb. This is a good, but uncomplicated intro to his vision of how to play. It’s got the three pieces of a good adventure, and will let all the different characters shine. If you need Game of Thrones levels of background and intrigue you will be disappointed by this adventure. For the execution, it works, but this is a prerelease. It’s also pretty cheap, so even if it doesn't massively change after layout, it's still enough to justify the price. So far, I’m happy with how this system is working. 98%

Good novice scenario. Too deadly for my group, though (3x 1st level, not experienced players), so I tuned it out (removed double attack from one enemy). But main strengths of this scenario are not battles, but npcs, connections between them and investigation. If your group into investigations - it's perfect scenario. To lead it I recommend to draw npcs connections, places&clues diagrams. Worth its money.

Good novice scenario. Too deadly for my group, though (3x 1st level, not experienced players), so I tuned it out (removed double attack from one enemy). But main strengths of this scenario are not battles, but npcs, connections between them and investigation. If your group into investigations - it's perfect scenario. To lead it I recommend to draw npcs connections, places&clues diagrams. Worth its money.

Love love love. New update makes it even better. Works great for any setting, though the included one is fantastic. By far the best system I've ever read.

Shadow of the Weird Wizard is unmistakably an improvement upon its first iteration, Shadow of the Demon Lord.

The combat system has been improved greatly with both martial and magical characters getting buffs to keep the game balanced but fun. I can't wait to see more official adventures come out since I loved the adventures of Demon Lord.

My only gripe would be the art which was a step-back from the pages upon pages of art that Demon Lord provided. Still, they do their job in painting the picture of the Borderlands.

Excellent work, a fantasy ttRPG that gives you plenty of options without overwhelming you. A good evolution of sotdl.

I don't give it 5 stars because I find the art inconsistent and uninspiring.

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Shadow of the Weird Wizard

Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day!

Product- Shadow of the Weird Wizard System- Shadow of the Weird Wizard Producer- Schwalb Entertainment Price- $19.99 here https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/457226/shadow-of-the-weird-wizard?affiliate_id=658618 TL; DR- A LOT more but not what some expected. 99%

Basics- Family friendly fantasy Schwalb! Shadow of the Weird Wizard is Schwalb Entertainment's family friendly fantasy RPG. Let's look at the basics then the breakdown.

Base Mechanics- This game is d20 based with the normal base numbers you would expect. There are only four attributes (strength, agility, intelligence, and will). The interesting part is your abilities directly determine a bonus to any roll. If you are asked to make a will roll, you look at your will attribute, subtract 10, and add that number to a d20 roll. So if you have a will of 13, then then the bonus is +3. Simple. This goes for everything from attacks to opening a lock. The number you are aiming for most times is a 10 for a success.

Boons and banes- Aside from a d20, the other die this game uses often is a d6. If you have an advantage in a situation, then you roll a boon or a d6 and ADD the value to the d20 roll. If you have a disadvantage you roll a bane or a d6 and you SUBTRACT the value from the d20 roll. If you have multiple boons or banes, you roll multiple dice but combine only the most extreme penalty or bonus to your d20 roll. Boons and banes counteract one another, so two banes and three boons mean you get one boon on the roll.

Combat- Combat is a bit simpler than Shadow of the Demon Lord. Here, each side takes a turn with the GM or Sage going first. All their NPCs go first moving, attacking, or casting spells, and then the players can choose whatever order they want to take. Each turn a player can move and take an action. These actions are attacks, spells, and anything else a player can think of.

Leveling up- This is the biggest change Schawlb brings to the world of RPGs. Leveling up in all the Shadow games is simple and occurs quite often. After a four hour adventure, you level up. Not after multiple sessions. Not at specific XP levels. Just after every completed game. Leveling up is also predictable. Level 1 and 2 you get levels in your base class or your novice path. Level 3 and 4 you choose an expert path. 5 is back to your novice path. 6 is your expert path. 7 and 8 are a master path. 9 is your expert path, and finally 10 is the master path final level. The classes/paths are split into four basic areas: fighter, rogue, wizard, and cleric, and this is the same for both the expert and master paths as well. So you can be a novice cleric, then a mountebank (rogue), and finally an alienist (wizard) and the flow will be fun and works well.

Ok, now my breakdown.

Mechanics or Crunch- I like the Shadow games. This is no different. This one doesn't have the slow/fast turn mechanics of the Shadow of the Demonlord, but that will make this appeal to a wider audience of gamers. Aside from that, this game’s goal is to be fast. Schwalb wants to make an approachable game that flows fast. And this does. 5/5

Theme or Fluff- Schwalb is not known for being family friendly. His other stuff is just bizarre and gross AND I LOVE IT. This is meant to be a very different experience. It's well done, but if you want the gothic horror of Shadow of the Demon Lord, you will be disappointed. However, if you want a family friendly game then this is the Schwalb Entertainment that you would bring to the table. 5/5

Execution- This is a solidly put together game that meets all the base requirements I need and want in a book. There is art that breaks up text blocks. There is a solid layout to ease reading. And there are hypertext to make this a breeze to move through quickly. The one thing I do not like is the lack of a walkthrough of making a character and leveling up. I know it's not hard, but those things are something I think really helps the new players. That said, this is a near perfect book for production. 4.9/5

Summary- I have always loved what Schwalb Entertainment puts out. It's a very different philosophy compared to other RPGs and companies. This is no different, but it is a change from the normal tone of Schwalb. Not bad, but different. You have to know exactly what you are getting here. This is a player book, not a full system book. The original Shadow of the Demon Lord was an all in one book. This is not that. If you think that this one book will do it all, you will be disappointed. But this book doesn't skimp on content as you get a crazy amount of things for your money. I just would like a few more examples for perfection. 99%

I was digging into the rules for 3 days, and today i ran a short one-shot on a con. The players had no issues to understand the rules and the adventure was absolute easy to play. Everyone had a great time and a lot of fun with Shadow of the weird Wizard.

When combining the information in this book with the rules from the players book we are given a fantastic game! It's strange and wacky, with some neat character options and good rules.