Hot Springs Island: OSR DnD Book Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Get A Field Guide to Hot Springs Island in PDF here: www.drivethrurp...
Get The Dark of Hot Springs Island in PDF here: www.drivethrurp...
Buy them both in print here: shop.swordfishi...
To digitally generate encounters for the locations and dungeons, go here: technicalgrimo...
See 5e stats for all the monsters here: homebrewery.nat...
OSR stats for the monsters here: technicalgrimo...
Hot Springs Island is a pair of gorgeous books laying out a detailed, dense, and interconnected DnD hexcrawl for adventuring in, using any RPG system you choose.
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Thank you for the review Ben!! I'll be happy to answer any questions if anyone has any about the books/setting/whathave you.
Jacob Hurst Hi Jacob! First off, thanks for Hot Springs Island! Second off, I do have some questions, and will probably have more when I finish reading both books. But for now,
1. Approximately how tough should the Ashlords be? It was hard to get an idea of this because they have no precedent in D&D or OSR that I am aware. Svarku is at least a little afraid of them, but that could be more because of their numbers and connections rather than their individual power. I realize that you probably intended each DM to adapt them according to their own needs, but I nonetheless want to know how YOU would treat them.
2. Is Hot Springs Island unique among the Swordfish Islands, especially in how potentially disruptive it is to a greater campaign world? I'm relying off this review, an interview you did elsewhere (possibly on Patrick Stuart's blog), and my own incomplete reading in characterizing the island as "disruptive," such as by all the gold hyperinflating the world economy and those plants putting nail makers out of work.
3. Any plans to do a module set on the planes when you're done with the Swordfish Islands? Your vision of them is intriguing and I'm sure many players will want to get off their "backwater" world once they catch a glimpse of the picture you've painted.
Hi! Sorry for the delay.
1. Let me step back one level first. I treat Svarku and Damadar and many of the other big bad guys on the Swordfish Islands (especially if they're of an extraplanar origin) as demi-gods. In something like 5e, Damadar and Svarku are just too "killable" in a "toe to toe" combat situation. They should be scary as fuck to go up against, and you should (in my unenforcable ideal world) never go up against them directly or else face insta-death. So with that in mind, Svarku is afraid of the Barons. I view them of a power level comparable to low level gods. Or on the level of a demon lord that controls a layer (or their own infinite chunk of an infinite layer) of someplace like the Abyss. Or, "terrifyingly powerful, but someone like Zeus could fuck 'em up without that much of a problem". Now, all that said, I also don't imagine them really being a combat target. IF you're powerful enough to not immediately suffocate on the Plane of Ash, and if you're powerful enough to not be immediately smited, and if you're powerful enough to be an actual, potential threat, then you're powerful enough to be *useful* to them, and they've got access to levels of raw material wealth that could break a human mind to ponder. AND if you're that powerful, and you've been around enough to get sent before them, I also imagine that you've figured out a number of the pieces of leverage that are in play, and will probably be smart enough to be playing them yourself. And that's a really fucking long way to say, I never tested them as a combat target, but I think viewing them as a combat target in the first place is the wrong way to go about it. Your question is really good though, so as a direct answer I'd say "a little bit of both". Their connections are staggering, and they're the physical manifestation of an elemental plane on that plane and have a nobility title, so they should be fucking scary in my book.
2. The Swordfish Islands as a whole are intended to be disruptive in that way. There are similar elven ruins on 4 other islands, and hopefully we can keep rolling with useful plants. The whole idea I wanted to explore (look at how pretentious I am) is the idea of _abundance_. I think it's a problem that we're not good at dealing with as humans. We've got scarcity down pretty pat. To get hand-wavy I feel like there is tons of fantasy about "There are 3 magic swords on the entire planet, what does that mean?" and not much along the lines of "The material once used as currency has become so abundant that it's basically worthless, now what?". Honestly that's one of the things I like so much about Pokemon. All the pokemon are so powerful and so destructive that it's shaped the entire culture into that duel system because if anyone says "Pikachu attack the trainer with thunderbolt" like... the entire world will devolve into absolute chaos because *everyone* has ultimate power in their pocket.
3. Heh. Thank you. :D Maybe. I don't know. Swordfish Islands is in many ways my personal response to what I viewed as the failings of Planescape (super amazingly awesome, yet not dense at all) and I want super density, which is very difficult to pull off if you're dealing with the infinite. I kinda think it's going to be best to have a vague notion of the cosmos and let individuals leak into the Prime Material (in large part because normality is what will give them a frame of grapsable reference in the first place). But "backwater" is such an important term imo regarding this. I kinda feel like an awful person, but if the cosmos is at your fingertips, then your world (any world) is basically shit as far as I'm concerned. The infinite cosmos becomes reality and everything is defined by the squabbles of the various all powerful immortals, and your entire world is literally a dust speck compared to the infinite infinities. Nothing that happens there is important... except! If the planes are defined by the consciousness of their ruler/creator then, there is going to be repetition. Like.. when you're playing a roguelike game and after a while you can *tell* how this "random" cave is going to turn and you start hugging the left wall, and there's the exit, just like you thought it would be, but can't articulate why. So then the importance of the Prime Material then becomes the TRUE randomness of its creation (as well as potential worshipers). And this is what leads to things like Reywish. Which is also why trade (especially trade in raw materials) then becomes such a critically important thing. Maybe one day.
I've been playing RPGs for 20 years, and this really is one of the best supplements I've seen. The setting is so alive and interesting. I'm a little torn about what system to use though, as my group isn't that into OSR. Did you have anything in mind when you wrote it? Any suggestions (or anyone else)?
Hi Joe! Thanks so much!
Donnie (one of the co-creators and our main GM) was most familiar with D&D 3.5 when we began working on Swordfish Islands. Thus our very first playtests were with Pathfinder. At GenCon this year he ran it with B/X and 5e D&D. We've also got a buddy who runs it for DCC. We've working towards getting official conversion kits made for a variety of systems, but unfortunately we seem to be plodding along towards it instead of rushing along. They're coming eventually. Promise.
In the mean time some pretty awesome user created content has started cropping up in the Swordfish Islands community on G+: plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104875561431746587608
Awesome, thanks for the link! I think I can sell my group on DCC so that might be worth a shot!
Got this on KS and I can't wait to run it at some point. Coming out around the same time as Tomb of Annihilation it has made me realize how much more innovation is going on in the indie scene.
Roman Perry I would love to compare those two, but I don't own any WotC stuff.
The WotC stuff is cool, you can tell a lot of effort is put in to them, but they read like dense text books. I definitely think they can do better with mechanics and editing. They don't feel like as much of a "tool" as Hot Springs or the Zak S. stuff. Once I understand how the book works, I can shoot from the hip with very little prep with something like Hot Springs. Tomb would take me a few hours of prep and note taking to get everything ready.
PS. I love your channel. If you are interested I would be happy to send you a 5e book.
If you want to send me stuff feel free to do so! I can't guarantee that I'll review it though, as I have quite the backlog of OSR stuff to go through.
These books are amazing! Mine arrived a few weeks ago and I dug straight in! I love the fact that major NPCs have a "What does _____ want?" section, so useful when portraying the NPC!
I've taken a bunch of inspiration and ideas from this book and started using them in my own practices, found my writing to be much more comfortable and practical at the table and during prep! Cannot recommend these books enough! Jacob Hurst is an absolute legend!
Your channel is my go to for what to buy. I love your reviews you consistently pick out awesome books. Look forward to the next one.
I totally agree. The channel could rightly be entitled "The best of the best of the OSR".
I love the idea of an entire book that you give your players
I've bought so much cool stuff because of this channel!
Damn you and your calm level headed excellently produced reviews.
Man, this looks amazing. This SOLD me on this. I wish I had known about this Kickstarter when it was out as I would have backed that in a heartbeat. I hope to pick that up.
Great review, you got a new sub in me!
Thank you, Ben, for being the first to point me in the direction of these awesome books and thank you Jacob and your crew for writing them. I have been running it for my girlfriend and we have both been loving it. These books are beautiful, funny, and very well laid out. I look forward to exploring the rest of the Swordfish Islands in the years to come.
Thank you Hunter!!
It has been my pleasure Jacob! This has inspired me to attempt and write my own book.
The OSR just Feels Right! this is what RPG games should be! Made by small groups or individual passionate people who have a hunger for innovation! it feels like 1978 all over again,and this movement is just getting started! I am seeing more and more of what i call the Pathfinder generation getting interested in the OSR because they are all going off to college now and need simpler games because of the time crunch. strap yourselves in OSR Enthusiasts this ride is just getting warmed up... :)
@@DechantMusic It's beautiful
It's always refreshing to find someone who pronounces golem correctly.
I'm glad you reviewed these books; they are truly fantastic and I was lucky to snag both in PDF in a charity bundle. I will add that a negative of the PDFs is that the tables of contents aren't linked for quick navigation, but given how little I paid for them, I'll deal and make my own bookmarks. I look forward to the rest of the Swordfish Islands!
I've got this one on order, both books look incredible. Can't wait to get my copy, thanks for the great review again!
The production values of these books are amazing!
I just got these in the mail on Friday. I've been so impressed with them so far. I can't wait to get a group together to start playing.
Why Wizards of the Coast don't think of making Field Guides like these for certain Adventures is beyond me.
They have books for every setting. They are called camping settings. All they are is background info on that setting, pathfinder has them too. Look up forgotten realms campaign setting on Amazon
@@williamk52 I'm talking about interactive books like the Field Manual like here, not a campaign setting book they have to read to understand the world they're playing in. They're two different things.
Gorgeous. I managed to avoid pledging when he was crowdfunding it through supreme willpower alone. Seeing the book 'in person' (so to speak) is really overwhelming my ability to resist picking it up....
doooooooooooooooooooooooo it
Usually a $100+ buy-in would turn me off, but this looks too good to pass up. Great review!
Second video I've watched of yours. The first covered this and 4 other books/systems. This setting is so beyond amazing; probably the coolest thing I've seen in ages. Gotta go find the creators and give them appropriate praise. Already picked up a copy (before getting to the end of the video).
Or the creators can find you and thank you tremendously for your praise! ;)
Really cool!
Might have to get these for all the plants and monsters, and some island/tropical themes.
This looks amazing! I'm not sure if i'll be able to run it, but I think I'm gonna buy it just to read it. Somawhat it reminded me of a game called The Curious Expedition
Sweet.. really cool. Thanks my friend.. love the old school stuff.
I picked this up at Gen Con this year and it really is made as well as described. I'm looking forward to getting into it and letting my players explore . . .
This has been on my wish list since I saw this review about a year ago. I really want the physical copies but decided to go with the pdf's for now. The other radical decision was to go solo. I realized it's not wasting the material as I can run this as many times as I like. And despite being so rich with secrets I'm not going to immediately reveal to myself it seems awesome for solo play.
The only procedure I'm confused about is the random encounters. They are tied to exploration. Is rather tie them to times of the day and not have then happen automatically but with a x out of 6. But I only just began so I'll try rules as written first.
I was able to get a hard copy of The Field Guide to Hot Springs Island. I wish I had the GM book instead but this could prove useful. It was only $3.50 so it's not like I'm out much.
This looks out of this world. Probably my next RPG purchase
Bleep bloop. Hot Springs bundle on flash sale at Drivethru right now.
Book looks amazing. Just bought it, and the field guide.
Great books and review! I just saw a post about this book. Thank you so much for going through these books so that I may make a more informed purchase!
That looks amazing! 👍🏽
Great review as always!
Now this upsets me. I was sold on Dolmenwood and got all the issues that are out. I'm playing it and it's going incredibly well. But this "Hot Spring Island" sounds amazing, good review.
Too much awesome is a good problem to have.
Thanks to you, I have found a renewed love of OSR :) I have not heard of any of these products and so many of them seem amazing. I am curious if there is a single place that is best to keep on top of what comes out. for OSR.
Amazing product and a very nice review. I really want to get my hands on these books; if only they weren't so expensive!...
I just bought this based off this review. You're right the book is awesome!
A great review and a superior product. I had to say goodbye to some money today. Worth it.
Great review. Subscribed!
I gotta check this out. I really love your review.
Thanks for the video. Do you think the setting is a good fit for Maze Rats?
Extremely good work :D :O
I want to prep my campaigns like this! :)
Great ideas, Thanks for the video :)
Are there any other 'field guides' like this? In game artifacts that can be given to the players and used as prompts?
Barry O'Leary Old AD&D setting boxed sets usually included a guide for players, but none that I have seen contained as much content as A Field Guide to Hot Springs Island.
Cheers for the review, love your videos man! Keep it up :)
Wow, these are gorgeous.
I am thinking about using these system neutral books and maybe even some OSR products to enhance my Numenera campaign.
Thank you
Hey man I really love your channel and I bought this pair because of it. I can't seem to find an explanation of the cataclysm of the elves anywhere though. Can you help?
How you see this to include into a Forbidden Lands Campaign? It seems the exploration-sandbox concept fits very well.
This would be awesome to run solo. Btw, if running solo I would only need the GM’s guide, yes?
Juat found your channel. So stoked, and so pissed 😂. My wallet is about to become so sore. Excellent content though!!!
Have you run this? If so, with what system? Would Knave work well you think?
Wouldn’t this tie in with Over the Edge 3e? You could easily add in all the weird stuff from that.
Do you have a link to the digital encounter roller you mentioned in the video?
its a shame they only ship the book in us
I would just love to buy this but they only ship within the US.... what a shame.
Do you have any suggestions for other great detailed hexcrawls? I have The Wilderlands of High Fantasy, NOD, Isle of Dread, Hexcrawl Chronicles, Points of Light, Carcosa & Isle of the Unknown as well as the Kingmaker adventure path, but some great ones like this must have slipped under my radar and they might be available for me to buy.
They're currently crossing the Atlantic to a European retailer who ships internationally and you can pre-order them here: www.sphaerenmeisters-spiele.de/epages/15455106.sf/en_US/?ObjectID=157270435
Thank you! I ordered the bundle from them. I was already looking into one of the US mail forwarding adresses, but they all looked a bit shady to me. Only sad thing is I miss out on the PDFs, which cost another €32,- on edsy or $40 on Drivethrough. I also asked the ETA on EU shipping on your site, but consider that question answered :)
Hi Ben. I heard your interview on Hobbs & Friends of the OSR, today. You mentioned being unable to attend RPG conventions, due to your work schedule. I thought you might be interested in Crit Hit, an RPG convention in Phoenix, Arizona. It takes place over the weekend of July 13, this year. There's a large OSR presence at the convention (or "retreat," as the organizers prefer to call it). It's large enough to offer a lot of variety to games, but small enough that you get a fairly intimate experience at the tables. Maybe I'll see you there!
Thanks for the heads up, Tim!
there is a prequel to this?
This looks great. My only quibble is that a simple 2 page stat sheet should've been included for the more popular game systems (i.e S&W ). It seems like there's a lot of work to be done on the fly, and having to come up with monster stats at the same time would be a headache in many cases.
Check the description of this video. I have links to where fans have statted up all the monsters and created digital rollers to generate all the random encounters instantly.
Yeah I saw that and it's a start, but there's no S&W / BX /1e version that I could see (i.e no descending AC, no XP etc.)
Ok, but converting to descending AC can be done mentally on the fly. I guess you would have to come up with your own XP awards, though.
RIP my wallet, because I'm getting these. Thanks for the awesome review!
When will this be available to the public? And if it is already, where can I buy a copy?
Quest Wise the books are available! Click on the link below:
shop.swordfishislands.com/
See the video description.
Looks interesting, but I’m not sure how I feel about giving the players a “Walkthrough” or game guide up front. If the players were from the island it would make more sense, but then it wouldn’t need to be an in-world guide.
Reminds me of Vvardenfell in Elder Scrolls Morrowind.
The players book seems more optional. Is my perception right?
Correct
Does anybody know what edition this is for
It's entirely system neutral, with no monster stats, but I've put a link in the description that gives 5e stats for everything.
Can you please post purchase link again?
It's in the video description.
Nice. How do you keep getting these sent to you?
People just offer to send them
@@QuestingBeast Nice
best e airy
What is written for character creation?
well, guess I am going to buy these the next time I get paid
How possible is it to nix the "Elves are evil" theme? As a GM I would not want to ban Elf characters, nor would I want everyone to discriminate against Elf PCs.
Its mostly just the former civilization of Elves that are evil. An elven character that doesn't trace their cultures origins to this locations should be fine.
A lot of the bad shit the Elves did is unknown to the wider community at the start of play.