Well, I've spent about two days pouring through the Blueholme Journeymanne rules, and all I can say is Wow. I can't think of the last time a ruleset had me this entranced. Admittedly, there are some typos and what I think are a few omissions, but we are still a few months off before the POD becomes available, but what's here is clearly a labor of love.
First, the thing that really grabs me is the artwork. Its so evocative of those early
days, but at that same time superior in most respects. The rules themselves are simplistic and basic, but certainly very playable.
I like the insectoid Dreenoi as a PC race, what an interesting idea... and then there's the Lovecraftian suggestions as well. The idea that the 'Great Race' is responsible for the vast underground network of the world is just inspired.
Lastly, the Character Sheets by James V West just bring it all home. I love those things! All in all this is a wonderful contribution to the OSR Community.
Shh! No-one knows about the great race! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAlso the Old Ones, the text of which comes from the Ancient Builders: zenopusarchives.blogspot.com - Ancient Builder: "New" Monster
ReplyDeleteThe idea of an ancient race building the Underworld comes from Holmes, both in the Sample Dungeon (where's it is hinted at), and in the Maze of Peril, where it is stated explicitly (see link below). I just fused Holmes idea with one of the Lovecraftian monsters that he was a fan of (and had written up for Magazine). zenopusarchives.blogspot.com - The Underworld of Holmes
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