Pathfinder Collector Pin: "Pathfinder Playtest Logo" [RPG]

The playtest for Pathfinder Second Edition only last a year, and I'm pretty sure this pin actually came out after it was over.  I can't imagine it sold well, but schmucks like me will buy anything!  This "deluxe enamel collector pin" has two sturdy clasps so you can affix it to a shirt and proclaim: "Hey, you remember for a bit in between that old game and that new game there was a test game? Me too!"

Ambush Bug Nothing Special # 1 (DC Comics) (one-shot, 1992) [COMICS]

 "Dumb Funny" should be the motto for Ambush Bug, and I'm in!  This "Nothing Special" is full of stupid jokes and little parodies of the type that made me laugh out loud multiple times.  It's not high art, but watching Ambush Bug trawl the DC Universe looking for a job made for an enjoyable, fast-paced read.  Even the opening credits are honestly really funny.  Some of my favourite wisecracks in the story are the "British Invasion" cracks while visiting Swamp Thing (it was 1992), a job interview with Eclipso (it was 1992) in which Ambush Bug is only able to achieve a "brown out", an "origin story" for little kid Keithy Griffin's nine-panel grid, and a Silence of the Lambs parody (it was 1992) with DC boss Julie Schwartz as Buffalo Bill!  There are a ton of in-jokes, and I'm sure I missed most of them.  If you had a thirty-year-old Mad Magazine lying around, this is just as good!

Starfinder Adventure: "The Starfinder Four vs The Hardlight Harlequin" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

The Starfinder Four vs. the Hardlight Harlequin is Paizo’s 2021 Free RPG Day release for Starfinder.  Designed for new and experienced players alike, it features four memorable pre-gens with clever little tie-ins to the adventure.  (My only complaint is that, unlike the Iconics, there’s no explanation of what the characters’ special abilities do—so a player would have to look stuff up as they play).  The cover is fun and colourful, and sets the tone of the adventure well.  I got a chance to play the adventure via play-by-post, running the android technomancer, Err0r.  Overall, I enjoyed the original adventure concept and think it was a good choice to appeal to new players.

SPOILERS!

The four PCs are novice Starfinders returning via starship from a training mission when they receive a distress call from the very place they intended to visit: a comic book/video game convention!  The adventure gives the GM some excellent guidance on how to handle the different reactions different groups may have (such as trying to call headquarters for instructions or seeing if other ships could respond).  Assuming, sooner or later, the group responds to the distress call, they’ll first have to get past some video-game style asteroids that suddenly manifest to block their landing.  It’s a mini-skills challenge, with real consequences for the PCs, as they’ll take damage to Stamina Points if they fail.  (I wish more starship combats interacted with the PCs’ health so they don’t seem like two completely separate games).

Once they land, the PCs will quickly learn what’s going.  In a suitably comic book backstory, the developer of new hardlight (quasi-real) virtual reality technology was caught up in a power surge with his equipment and has become a villain drawn from the game he was developing: the Hardlight Harlequin!  As the PCs explore the convention site, rescuing attendees along the way, the Hardlight Harlequin mocks them and sends video game-style threats their way.  Although there are plenty of traps and combats, there’s also good opportunities for role-playing with some of the trapped NPCs, as they’re given interesting personalities (and good artwork).   The big climactic battle against the Hardlight Harlequin has some features that make it a bit complex to run, so GMs should make sure they’ve prepared carefully.  (the boss isn’t actually so bad; earlier, there’s a much nastier turret-gun trap that could be positively lethal!)

As I said in the intro, the colourful comic book/video game theme is handled well and makes for a memorable experience.  It’s not the “dark and gritty” or morally challenging adventure that I personally champion, but I had a good time and I think others will too.  And, of course, it’s free!  There’s no arguing with that.