Self Isolation

Well Spring has begun, the lambs are frolicking, the sun is out and heating has been turned down slightly. I wasn't going to post anything about our current predicament with Covid-19 as many comments have been made, but it felt weird not commenting.

As wargamers and readers of military history we are all fully aware of the limits of human sacrifice that our forefathers went through. As many have commented, all we are being asked to do is stay at home and wash our hands. We've all got lead mountains to get through and in the age of internet plenty to keep us entertained. (I wonder if Disney Plus will be able to cope with demand on launch day, Tuesday.) Yet we also know it's not gonna be that easy. I for one find my mental health is helped by looking forward to that next exciting thing in my life, whether it be seeing family, going to a wargame show, getting together with the Illustrious Opponent for some WW2. Not knowing when these things are going to happen next is hard. 

My health (although not horrific) does put me in the at risk category, so I'm working from home. My job supports key workers, so that helps me feel like I am contributing. It can be hard though when broadband demand and cheaper home kit means everything takes that little bit longer. Plus it's hard to step away from the computer at five o'clock when you know you could help one more person so their job. 

At least I'm lucky enough to have a job to keep working at. My thoughts are with all those self employed and small companies, especially wargame/boardgame companies obviously. I hope they all ride the storm and their absence won't be felt next year when shows start up again. 

Yes, we play with toy soldiers and that may seem trivial in this current crisis but playing with toy soldiers has introduced me to a community that I know will help ride this storm with the same kindness and community that I always see online and at shows over the years. If we stick together (but not too close) and look out for each other. I'm sure we'll get through this.

If you want to do something practical, donate to your local soup kitchen (they may have an Amazon wish list or a drop off point If you can get anything at your local Co-op while you are out.)  

Or donate to one here.

Labyrinth the Adventure game - A review

I've been looking forward to this book arriving for months now. Full disclosure, I am a big fan of the movie, I listen to the soundtrack a lot and a Labyrinth RPG book would have to be pretty badly written to disappoint me.

 

As I opened the non descript cardboard package from River Horse that arrived this week I was a little disappointed. Not by the book that I had ordered, but by the lack of pomp and ceremony of it's arrival. I don't know why, I guess maybe just because I have been looking forward to the arrival of this book for so long that when it did arrive I felt like maybe a little less care had been taken than maybe it could have been. Don't get me wrong, the book is lovely, I'll get to that in a moment. Maybe it was just the anticipation had built up so much, that a plain brown cardboard package just didn't do it justice. Why was it not delivered by a white Barn Owl in the midst of a dark and stormy evening?

The book came bubble wrapped and in a plain brown cardboard sleeve, so no damage, but there was nothing else in there. Maybe I've just been spoilt by other mail order companies in the past where little extra details are added to the order. When I pre-ordered direct from River Horse I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they told me they would be sending me a free Tails of Equestria Starter set with the order. A nice little bonus I wasn't expecting. I haven't received it. I have messaged them and hopefully they will get back to me. Maybe they wanted to rush out the Labyrinth book and they didn't have enough of the other item ready. If so, fair enough, it was just a freebie extra and I'd rather get my book sooner.  *update, River Horse have rectified the issue and it has now arrived.

On to the book itself then, well I am not disappointed. It is a carefully curated work of art. There are a few things that made me wrinkle my brow a little, but on the whole I am happy with my purchase. Firstly, as suggested, I took off the thick card dust jacket to see the book inside. It is cardboard rather than paper, so I guess you could use it as a GM screen, but there aren't any tables printed on the inside. The book inside though has a lovely tactile velvet touch cover in the style of the book from the movie.

 

 

 There is a bookmark included with handy notes for the Goblin King, (The Games Master.) the kind of things you would print on the inside of a GM screen? The book has three page marker ribbons, a nice useful touch. The rules specifically require you to use one of the them for saving the players progress, so having three of them will most definitely come in handy.

 

 

Inside the book each page has a cut away section making a pocket to hold a pair of dice. The dice themselves have the numbers debossed and the number ones are replaced with owls. At first they felt a little light, but the curious geek in me got the scales out and compared them to a chessex dice of the same size and there is less than a gram difference in it. (less than my scales could measure anyway.)

 

 

On to the book itself. It is a complete RPG system in one, the rules themselves are quite simple to learn. A D6 based system, like most RPGs the GM (or Goblin King) gives the players a target figure and they roll a dice to try and achieve that number. Rolling an owl always fails. The characters traits, flaws, equipment or general situation around you make it easier or harder. If it is easier you roll two dice and pick the highest, harder roll two dice and pick the lower. A bit like rolling with Advantage/Disadvantage in D&D fifth edition. Your friends helping you also take a number off your target number.  There aren't any combat rules which may disappoint some players, but it's not really that kind of adventure.

The main appeal of the book however, is the scenes. The book is really actually a giant adventure or module and could easily be used for any roleplaying system. There are a hundred scenes in the book (I think my maths is right?) each one is a puzzle for the players to solve and they don't necessarily encounter each and every one, so there is definitely repeat play value in the book. There are some familiar places including, an Oubliette, The Ball Room and the Humongous guarding the entrance to the Goblin City. Each scene includes a beautifully drawn map that can also be downloaded in PDF form from the River Horse website. After the scenes there is a toolkit for expanding the world, which basically consists of a few tables and descriptions of more characters from the Labyrinth.

 

Finally at the end of the book there is a Gallery of photos from the film, a strange addition in my opinion. I can't imagine anyone purchasing this book doesn't own the blu-ray or DVD, in fact at the beginning of the book it suggests watching the film as prep work for the Goblin King.

I wouldn't recommend this book to a first time GM (or GK) as there are a few scenes that expect the GM to fill out a some big gaps but with some confidence and possibly a blonde punky Bowie wig this book will definitely allow a GM make a great tribute to an awesome film.