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There is a review of the Esoterror Fact Book over on the Pelgrane Press forums.
I just didn't get what Esoterror was supposed to look like ... The Esoterror Factbook changed all that for me.
...
The part that really struck me was the section on the Special Suppression Forces. To be sure, all the crunchy combat rules you could possibly want are available here. The good news is, they stick to the theme of genre and narrative use, and do not take GUMSHOE too far down the wargame path. But here's the better part: embedded in this section, along with the sample adventure, is a thinking man's wargame. Mr. Laws has managed to show how the GUMSHOE paradigms of resource management and clue finding can be used in a tactical combat environment. Now, taking down the bad guys guns blazing is more about managing your pools, and using your noggin to get the best advantage. And one by Pookie on Game Cryer for Trail of Cthulhu supplement, The Dying of St Margaret's: There is something awful about the Purist nature of The Dying of St. Margaret’s, but a stark beauty too, one that exemplifies Lovecraftian horror’s uncaring nature.
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I spotted this old-ish review of Esoterrorists by R B Bergstrom.
"The rules are incredible - I honestly think this is the best investigation-based RPG ever printed."
Mr Bergstrom also has extensive actual play posting and discussion of of Trail of Cthulhu, too.
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Dan Harms has written a review of DoSM, here.
...this is a chilling scenario epitomizing Lovecraft’s cosmic horror. It not only recommends itself to Trail of Cthulhu purist players, but it’s also an excellent resource for Call of Cthulhu players who want more cosmic horror in their games. Also, Graham and I were also rather chuffed to note this comment from Dr_Locrian on the yog-sothoth forum: The Dying of St. Margaret's is an awesome scenario, all kinds of win! I just love the story, it feels like an old school Val Lewton production (is it a leftover from Shadows Over Filmland?). I'm tempted to contact the writer so I can write a screenplay adaptation!
I think it also has what I would consider the Platonic ideal for Trail of Cthulhu scenario writing format: a non-linear collection of scenes and clues and multiple ways of obtaining information listed. Also liked the hints on how to roleplay the key NPC's.
Bravos all around!
Finally, Indie Pete reviewed it on RPGnow.com. Watch out for the very early spoiler. "The Dying Of St Margaret’s" is a professionally presented and evocative Mythos scenario in the Purist vein...Cheerful stuff, presented in a no-nonsense fashion... this is great, more scenarios and RPG-writing should be so direct.
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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) robin_d_laws pointed me at a review of the Mutant City Blues hard cover here.
Physically, the book is well put-together, with fairly high production values. Pelgrane opted to print it as a duotone hard-back, litho-printed on nice, heavy stock. The binding creaks a little, but I'm ill concerned about it actually falling apart. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked to see the book end up as a murder weapon in one of the HCIU's cases. (For those of you who own ToC, print quality is exactly the same. Just swap blue for sepia.)
and
I'll be honest, folks: I haven't been this excited about a new game since Unhallowed Metropolis. It's strongly themed, with a system that backs up the premise without getting in the way.
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The first review of Mutant City Blues is up on rpg.net. It gets a 4/5.
For the first time in months I’m excited about running a new game. I can’t wait for the new season at my local games club so I can get stuck in. And I think this is because Mutant City Blues is one of the more original settings I’ve seen in a while. It adds a decidedly grown up spin to the superhero genre, getting away from Spandex and silly names of X-men and other similar comics, as well as their save-the-cheerleader-save-the-world plots. I can’t wait to get my hands on a hard-copy. There is also a review of Fear Itself over on Game Cryer. As a GM I enjoyed Fear Itself and the GUMSHOE system. It does a good job of supporting horror while giving players the control to shape scenes with their skill uses. Character generation is fast, and a GM could easily rip off nearly any horror movie for quick inspiration if needed. It is a rules light game that does a good job of focusing on the characters.
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Here's a review of the pre-release review of Mutant City Blues.
For the first time in months I’m excited about running a new game. I can’t wait for the new season at my local games club so I can get stuck in. And I think this is because Mutant City Blues is one of the more original settings I’ve seen in a while. It adds a decidedly grown up spin to the superhero genre, getting away from Spandex and silly names of X-men and other similar comics, as well as their save-the-cheerleader-save-the-world plots.
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Our second review of Four Shadows for Trail of Cthulhu, courtesy of Flames Rising.
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A review of Eldritch Tales is out over on Flames Rising, and there is another one here on yog-sothoth.
The Keeper's Screen and Resource Book was also reviewed on Yoggy.
"I was struck by the wonderful quality of the art and production values of the Keeper's Resource Book & Screen for Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgrane Press. But besides the amazing artwork (thanks Jérome), the set includes a wealth of helpful information."
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A review (and mini-review) of all of our GUMSHOE releases here. Link courtesy of pond823.
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Another great review for the d20 Book of Unremitting Horror here. I'm so looking forward to the GUMSHOE version. This is our best selling PDF product since Dying Earth.
"All in all, The Book of Unremitting Horror lives up to its name. From the art and fiction to the abilities and motivations of the monsters, this is more a book of nightmares than of creatures. The sections on how to use this book present great advice, and the creatures here are disturbing and twisted enough to make even the players scared, to say nothing of their characters. If you think your PCs and your campaign can handle it, you’d be well-served to inflict some Unremitting Horror on them."
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The d20 Book of Unremitting Horror is available now as a PDF from the Pelgrane webstore and RPGNow, and it's attracted a two very nice reviews, here and here.
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At last, a full-blown review for the Book of Unremitting Horror. It was marked down a single point because the reviewer said it overstepped too many boundaries, as if that was a bad thing.The co-author Adrian Bott cavalorn comments in thread underneath the review.
Is it "too squicky" to use one commentator's phrase? It doesn't address any themes not covered in a Stephen King book, or even most episodes of Law and Order and CSI. However, roleplaying games are not television, as they require active participation, and some themes are very hard to address, and require the active consent of all players. It makes a big difference if the events happen to NPCs, or "off-camera." It's fairly obvious that the Book is only suitable for a mature audience, and the example adventure give the best template for the type of gaming we hope to encourage.
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