Supplement Four
Mongoose
When Thulsa announced that he had released XP 2: Song of the Beast-Gods, I went directly to Lulu and bought a hard copy, sight unseen. I assumed XP 2 would get the same treatment as XP 1, that is, Thulsa would release a Conan RPG conversion document.
When he refused, it incensed me. I just naturally assumed he'd do it for his love of Conan and the Hyborian Age. But, it looks to me as if Thulsa has moved on from Conan, focussing now not on the Hyborian Age but on his own Sword & Sorcery game setting called Xoth, using Pathfinder rules.
I guess I was spoiled by the massive adventure that XP 1 is, and the lengthy pdf Thulsa provided that helps make XP 1 a perfect adventure set in the Hyborian Age. I swore that XP 2 would be the last Thulsa adventure I'd buy, and I'll admit, I'm still a bit miffed that XP 2 never got a good "Conan-isation" from Thulsa. To me, his adventures went from "specifically written for the Conan RPG" (with the conversion document) to something close that the GM can convert--like other adventures.
But...
Here I am, breaking my oath. I bought Thulsa's next installment in the XP series: XP 3 - The Citadel Beyond the North Wind.
Why'd I do this? Well, I guess the pros outweighed the cons.
And, what are the pros and cons?
I haven't read the adventure yet--only flipped through it. In my opinion, here are the relevant points....
PRO
There are few adventures out there that fit well as adventures during the Hyborian Age. Thulsa writes his adventures for his own Sword & Sorcery world, so the tone and feel of this adventure is much more akin to the Hyborian age than most other adventures that present too many fantasy elements.
Thulsa is a very good adventure writer.
CON
It's expensive. $15 bucks for a 40 page adventure.
It's written for the Pathfinder game and Thulsa's Xoth game world, thus some conversion is required by the GM. And, there's no Conan conversion (and there will most likely never be).
THE SKINNY
The adventure is expensive ($9.99 would be a more fair price, I think), and some conversion to the Hyborian Age is required. But, I think the Pros outweigh the Cons, especially if you're looking for an easier adventure to convert to your Conan RPG game.
I hear that some of Thulsa's adventures will be converted to Mongoose's RQ/Legend/Wanderer system and sold by Mongoose.
Thulsa has announced his next adventure: XP 4 - Land of the Silver Lotus. I'm sure I'll buy that one, too, when it comes out.
XP 3 - The Citadel Beyond the North Wind is designed for Pathfinder characters, level 8-10 (which should equate to Conan RPG characters, level 8-10). The adventure is designed in the sandbox style, where characters are free to roam around in any direction their nose takes them, bumping into keyed adventure locations. The adventure is set in a "northern, barbarous" land. It would probably be excellent set somewhere in Hyrkania.
When he refused, it incensed me. I just naturally assumed he'd do it for his love of Conan and the Hyborian Age. But, it looks to me as if Thulsa has moved on from Conan, focussing now not on the Hyborian Age but on his own Sword & Sorcery game setting called Xoth, using Pathfinder rules.
I guess I was spoiled by the massive adventure that XP 1 is, and the lengthy pdf Thulsa provided that helps make XP 1 a perfect adventure set in the Hyborian Age. I swore that XP 2 would be the last Thulsa adventure I'd buy, and I'll admit, I'm still a bit miffed that XP 2 never got a good "Conan-isation" from Thulsa. To me, his adventures went from "specifically written for the Conan RPG" (with the conversion document) to something close that the GM can convert--like other adventures.
But...
Here I am, breaking my oath. I bought Thulsa's next installment in the XP series: XP 3 - The Citadel Beyond the North Wind.
Why'd I do this? Well, I guess the pros outweighed the cons.
And, what are the pros and cons?
I haven't read the adventure yet--only flipped through it. In my opinion, here are the relevant points....
PRO
There are few adventures out there that fit well as adventures during the Hyborian Age. Thulsa writes his adventures for his own Sword & Sorcery world, so the tone and feel of this adventure is much more akin to the Hyborian age than most other adventures that present too many fantasy elements.
Thulsa is a very good adventure writer.
CON
It's expensive. $15 bucks for a 40 page adventure.
It's written for the Pathfinder game and Thulsa's Xoth game world, thus some conversion is required by the GM. And, there's no Conan conversion (and there will most likely never be).
THE SKINNY
The adventure is expensive ($9.99 would be a more fair price, I think), and some conversion to the Hyborian Age is required. But, I think the Pros outweigh the Cons, especially if you're looking for an easier adventure to convert to your Conan RPG game.
I hear that some of Thulsa's adventures will be converted to Mongoose's RQ/Legend/Wanderer system and sold by Mongoose.
Thulsa has announced his next adventure: XP 4 - Land of the Silver Lotus. I'm sure I'll buy that one, too, when it comes out.
XP 3 - The Citadel Beyond the North Wind is designed for Pathfinder characters, level 8-10 (which should equate to Conan RPG characters, level 8-10). The adventure is designed in the sandbox style, where characters are free to roam around in any direction their nose takes them, bumping into keyed adventure locations. The adventure is set in a "northern, barbarous" land. It would probably be excellent set somewhere in Hyrkania.