Posts By John Farrell
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113PreviewsTalking to the Creator of Critters & Companions: system neutral fantasy animals
Roleplaying games often overlook the value of wildlife, presenting them as combat encounters first and integrated into a setting’s logic second. I...
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301Reviews
Death in Space review—scrounging in the void
Fear, hunger, and peril await those who tarry in the dying universe of Death in Space. Dripping with all the atmosphere that...
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251Reviews
Tales From the Loop boardgame review—a time of mystery
Tales From the Loop has had an interesting life span. Simon Stålenhag’s depictions of a lost age of horror and technology was...
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330Reviews
Subastral review—small but beautiful
Subastral joins the burgeoning subniche of short, moody environmental games that I am happy to see growing in the boardgame market. This...
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476Reviews
Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos Roll20 review—anemic academia
If you ever wanted to play D&D in your own Hogwarts-style academic environment, Strixhaven: a Curriculum of Chaos is going to leave...
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443News
Post apocalyptic rhythm returns with FP 3: Escape from Bako Release
A while ago I had the good fortune to sit down with a one man titan of filmaking, Jason Trost. Star, writer,...
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494Reviews
Eldritch Century review—adventures in the Wounded Earth
In an alternate history, the Great War woke a new horror, carried on the mists. It spread from the battle of Argonne...
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653Reviews
Gloomhaven Steam review—rebirth of a legend
Gloomhaven’s Steam port is a rare treat among the dubious world of board game to video game ports. The tactical dungeon crawler...
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806Reviews
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous review—a leap forward for tabletop fans
Though not perfect, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a landmark for tabletop RPGs. My recent review of Solasta: Crown of the...
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1.0KReviews
Fallout RPG review—accurate to a fault
Fallout RPG shows incredible fidelity to Bethesda’s era of games, which is to say that it’s buggy and incomplete despite showing immense...
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724Reviews
A legend in the making—Solasta: Crown of the Magister review
Solasta: Crown of the Magister may just be a revolution in RPG production…eventually. Its impressive foundation and scope lay the groundwork for...
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911Interviews
Interview with Jason Trost–America’s most underrated filmmaker
Jason Trost has been hard at work making himself a legend, though you could be forgiven for not knowing that. A one...
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446News
FP Fest funding now for more indie DDR action
Independent filmmaker Jason Trost has an impressive list of accomplishments under his belt, and fans can now contribute to a new celebration...
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614Reviews
My newest obsession—Trials of Fire review
Trials of Fire manages to stand out against a crowded field of strategic deck-building roguelikes. I can see myself pouring around a...
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975Reviews
Enter the unknown—Symbaroum starter set review
Symbaroum is many things. This dark fantasy game is as terrifying as it is mysterious. It’s as expansive as it is isolating....
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1.9KReviews
Fire and acid blood—Alien: Destroyer of Worlds review
I found the Alien RPG starter set to be a worthy entry into the franchise, packing useful components into an introductory adventure...
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990Reviews
Horror comes home—Alien RPG starter set review
I was hesitant to learn that Alien was being adapted to an RPG setting until I learned of Free League’s involvement. Their...
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814Reviews
Humanity’s last stand—Faza review
With the earth burning, the skies full of hostile ships, and a coalition of enemies, you are humanity’s last hope. Hope is...
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786Reviews
Spectacular supernatural supplements—A Wicked Secret and Vaesen GM screen review
I recently found Vaesen to be a sincere yet terrifying Nordic horror game, and it has recently seen an injection of content...
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1.8KReviews
A haunting, tragic masterwork–Vaesen–Nordic Horror Roleplaying review
Vaesen’s Nordic Horror experience stands out among myriad monster of the week horror RPGs in almost every way that I value as...
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2.3KReviews
A dark and bloody pinnacle–Mork Borg review
Mork Borg receives the highest recommendation of any game I have ever reviewed. It is more than a dark fantasy low magic...
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1.3KReviews
Not enough game—Ring of Pain review
The line between good concept and good implementation is a fine but important one, and Ring of Pain is unfortunately on the...
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763News
Free League Halloween sale of Mork Borg and Vaesen expansions
With the recent dark apocalyptic RPG and Vaesen, a horror RPG based upon Nordic folktales. While I have yet to review these...
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876Reviews
Horror abstracted—Neverending Nightmares for Switch review
Neverending Nightmares aims to capture the unknowable horror buried in the unconscious mind, and while it doesn’t quite succeed, it does deliver...
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1.3KNewsAshes Reborn revives Rise of the Phoenixborn, proving good things can happen in 2020
Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn was a beautiful gift that died too soon. Plaid Hat’s LCG combined ingenious mechanics centered around careful...
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1.9KReviews
Rage against the machines—Warhammer 40k Mechanicus Switch edition review
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus contains a bevy of interesting narrative and mechanical decisions, but this tactics game is also marred by questionable implementations...
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1.3KReviews
Age of miracle—Rational Magic Campaign Setting review
It’s the fate of most independent 5e compatible settings to get lost in the shuffle, and the time I have spent with...
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5.3KFeatures
A tribute to Hidden Frontier—Star Trek’s forgotten miracle
Deep in the eldritch rabbit hole of Star Trek fan productions, I uncovered something incredible. For a franchise with such longevity and...
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1.6KPodcast
Episode 006: Dungeons and Dragons
This week Erica Echlin and Jon Miller are joined by Mike Dunn, John Farrell, and Steven Starkey to talk about Dungeons and...
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1.8KReviews
The legacy of Verne continues—Nemo Rising: Robur the Conqueror review
Whether leagues beneath the sea or just above the clouds, Nemo Rising: Robur the Conqueror has an adventure in store. How worthwhile...
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2.7KReviews
A bluff of dragons—Three Dragon Ante Legendary Edition review
Luck, strategy, and some classic manipulation come together in Three Dragon Ante. What was once an in-game prop, modeled as a poker-style...
