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Shadow, Sword & Spell: The Stew
What mysteries lurk in the shadows? Hired by a wizard in search of his legacy, you will soon discover, that a sleepy town, is not all it appears to be. People are missing, mysteries abound, but at least the food is good.Written by Richard Iorio II (Colonial Gothic & Shadow, Sword & Spell), The Stew is a descent into cooking, legacy, and a strange cult. Set in a remote region of the Spineback Mountains, the adventure is just one example of the type of adventures you can run with Shadow, Sword & Spell.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2013
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 27, 2015
Originally posted at Throat Punch Games, a new idea everyday!
Product- Shadow, Sword & Spell: The Stew
System- 12*
Producer- Rogue Games
Price- ~$5.25 Here
TL; DR- A few errors in a pretty nice, standard pulp story. 87%
Basics- Looking for adventure? The Stew is an adventure for the 12* system where the players wander into the town of Flatrock as mercenaries for a wizard. In town, the players learn about a rash of disappearances. Will the players protect their charge and find what's happening is Flatrock?
Mechanics or Crunch- This is a fairly simple adventure. It's a town full of people to talk to, a tower the wizard in interested, and the cause of the disappearances. The adventure doesn't add any major mechanics, but uses the basic mechanics to great effect. Players get to face off against everything from social encounters to magic nicely rounding off all the mechanics of the system. You won't spend all your time in magic duals or social combat, but everybody will get a chance to shine. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff- This is a simple adventure. Players are trying to understand what's going on and keep their charge safe. It's not Lord of the Rings epic, but it does have good points that keep the storey going. Honestly, a party that works well together and doesn't mess around will have this whole adventure done in four hours. That's not bad for a one shot adventure. There is a reveal that you might see somewhat coming, but that's not handled poorly either. Also, I do like how the different chapters of the book are named based on different types of dinner courses. 4.5/5
Execution- The Stew works well, but has a few problems that hurt things. Some of the NPCs don't have all their stats. Some characters don't have stats that let them use the weapons they are carrying. However, all the named characters get nice pictures that you can show your players. Overall, the adventure works, but some elements are not as clean as I would hope. Also, this adventure is priced as much as the core book. That's a bit steep for an adventure that is relatively short. But, that's not a major complaint as the total price is still less than a Big Mac. 4/5
Summary- Rogue Games has put out some quality, and this is no exception. It's a bit short and a bit pricy compared to the other books. But, what you do get is a fun mystery for the players to solve, some psychological terror, and a nice dose of combat and social deduction. It's not at A Game of Thrones level of storytelling, but it is well thought out. If you want a good intro adventure for your players, this is a great place to start. 87%
Product- Shadow, Sword & Spell: The Stew
System- 12*
Producer- Rogue Games
Price- ~$5.25 Here
TL; DR- A few errors in a pretty nice, standard pulp story. 87%
Basics- Looking for adventure? The Stew is an adventure for the 12* system where the players wander into the town of Flatrock as mercenaries for a wizard. In town, the players learn about a rash of disappearances. Will the players protect their charge and find what's happening is Flatrock?
Mechanics or Crunch- This is a fairly simple adventure. It's a town full of people to talk to, a tower the wizard in interested, and the cause of the disappearances. The adventure doesn't add any major mechanics, but uses the basic mechanics to great effect. Players get to face off against everything from social encounters to magic nicely rounding off all the mechanics of the system. You won't spend all your time in magic duals or social combat, but everybody will get a chance to shine. 4.5/5
Theme or Fluff- This is a simple adventure. Players are trying to understand what's going on and keep their charge safe. It's not Lord of the Rings epic, but it does have good points that keep the storey going. Honestly, a party that works well together and doesn't mess around will have this whole adventure done in four hours. That's not bad for a one shot adventure. There is a reveal that you might see somewhat coming, but that's not handled poorly either. Also, I do like how the different chapters of the book are named based on different types of dinner courses. 4.5/5
Execution- The Stew works well, but has a few problems that hurt things. Some of the NPCs don't have all their stats. Some characters don't have stats that let them use the weapons they are carrying. However, all the named characters get nice pictures that you can show your players. Overall, the adventure works, but some elements are not as clean as I would hope. Also, this adventure is priced as much as the core book. That's a bit steep for an adventure that is relatively short. But, that's not a major complaint as the total price is still less than a Big Mac. 4/5
Summary- Rogue Games has put out some quality, and this is no exception. It's a bit short and a bit pricy compared to the other books. But, what you do get is a fun mystery for the players to solve, some psychological terror, and a nice dose of combat and social deduction. It's not at A Game of Thrones level of storytelling, but it is well thought out. If you want a good intro adventure for your players, this is a great place to start. 87%
Displaying 1 of 1 review