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Torchlight Issue #1
by Jose P. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 07/15/2021 04:27:57

man this New TORCHLIGHT Zien is awesome! chuck full of epic rule tweaking nspiration! The d6 Alt Thief Abilities are genius, and the New Spell Holy Oath is super useful well balanced.With James Spahn, John Healy II, Michael Badolato at the writing helm you can’t sleep on this make your game better this weekend! buy this now.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Torchlight Issue #1
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Torchlight Issue #1
by Timothy B. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/13/2021 10:11:31

I really enjoy zines. Give me some oddly put together content, maybe some fluff, some new artists and old industry standbys, slap a cover on it and sell it cheap. Zines today though are different affair. The quality is much higher, the prices are usually much cheaper or on par with what we paid back in the 80s.

Case in point. The new Torchlight zine. Overtly desinged to support Swords & Wizardry Light and Swords & Wizardry Continual Light, it really can be used with any OSR game or the games they were based on.
That's sort of the point of SWL/SWCL though, to provide the most basic of basics to play.

This issue has new theif rules, more monsters for your SWL/SWCL games (though nothing "new" but that is fine, they are new to this game) and familiars for magic-users among other conent.

At $3.00 this is a good price for 36 pages (minus covers, OGL and extra, it comes in at about 10 cents per page which is the rule of thumb I try to use.) If half of it is useful for you then that is a good zine.

If you like SWL/SWCL or are a fan of zines then get this.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Torchlight Zine - Premiere Issue
by caleb e. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 04/11/2021 15:47:22

quite an enjoyable read like the new class and dungeon as well as the spells whilst the monster section was a bit creatively lacking past the ghost men. (but as far as magic items go the poison ring is cool) overall it was a nice zine at a good price for what you get looking forward for more in the future if there will be any. :)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Torchlight Zine - Premiere Issue
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Thilo G. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/14/2018 03:29:37

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This game clocks in at 24 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page blank inside of front cover, 1 page editorial,1 page SRD, 2 pages blank at the end of the pdf, leaving us with 18 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

This review was requested by my patreons, to be undertaken at my convenience.

So, first things first: What is this? Well, Swords & Wizardry Light is a super-brief twist on the classic Swords & Wizardry OSR-rules-set – and it’s available for free, so you can check it out without any hassle. All basic rules are presented in the file, and it really helps getting newbies into gaming – no need to read hundreds of pages of rules and the like. That being said, its use is contingent on an experienced gamer filling in the brevity-immanent holes, and it does not suffice to play a longer campaign. It is intended to provide easy access to gaming at, for example, conventions, but from a longer-term perspective, it is not stand-alone in the traditional manner. This is where this pdf comes into play: Based on Swords & Wizardry Light, this is a slightly expanded version – one that is still rules-lite by pretty much every definition of the word, but does feature all the components you’d really need to run the game without requiring background knowledge of a big book – in that way, it’s a take on the light version that is “continual.”

All right, so, how does Swords & Wizardry Continual Light (SWCL) work? Well, we have the 6 classic ability scores. You roll 3d6 for them, and stats of 15 or higher net you a +1 bonus, with the respective attributes noting to what the bonuses apply. Race-wise, dwarves, elves and halflings are covered. Dwarves and halflings may only become fighters and thieves, while elves also qualify as magic-users.

Now, as per the base system, AC values for both descending and ascending ACs are provided, something to bear in mind. In this review, I will opt for noting bonuses as ascending – if you read plus X, this means it’s a bonus, not a penalty. Dwarves get +4 to AC versus Large targets, +1 Find and Remove Traps and Open Lock, +1 to hit and damage versus orcs and goblins, and +4 to saves vs. magic and poison. Elves get +1 to hit versus orcs, goblins and undead, immunity to paralysis, +2 to saves vs. magic and +1 to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently. Halflings get +4 to AC versus large enemies, +2 to hit with ranged weapons and +1 to Open Locks, Pick Pockets, Hide in Shadows and Move Silently. Humans don’t get bonuses, but qualify for all classes.

Now, as far as classes go, the system knows 7 levels. Fighters begin play with 1+1 HD (might have made sense to spell briefly out what that means for novices) and a BHB (basic hit bonus) of +0, improving that by +1 at every level. Save begins at 16 and improved to 10 in a linear manner. The fighter gets a HD every level. True to old-school, fighters get one attack per level versus foes with 1 HD or less. They also have +1 to saves vs. death and poisons. All classes come with multiple gear sets to choose from.

Clerics gain 6 HD over their levels (4th level netting just +1) and their BHB improves from +0 to +3. They learn cleric spells of up to 3rd level. The cleric gets +2 to saves vs. death and poison, spells of up to 3rd level, has the traditional weaponry restrictions (blunt weaponry and slings) and comes with a turn undead table. There is no daily limit of uses for the cleric’s turning. Saves progress linearly every level, starting at 14 at 1st, improving to 8.

Magic-users get +2 to saves vs. magic, up to 4 HD (every even level nets just a +1); saves begin at 15 and improve in a linear manner, and the class only gets +1 BHB at 5th level, which improves to +2 at 7th; armor restrictions and weapon restrictions apply, and magic-users unlock spells of up to 4th level.

Thieves have the same save-progression as magic users, starting off with 15, but get up to 5 HD, with 3rd and 6th level just yielding +1s. BHB scales up to +3. Thieves may use any weapon, but are restricted to leather armor. Backstabbing foes nets +4 to hit and deals double damage. Thief skills are noted not in a percentile manner, and instead offer a X in d6 chance that increases by +1 at 3rd and 5th level, capping at a maximum 1-5 chance of success. This thankfully makes the 1st level thief moderately competent and not useless.

Levels are gained by completing adventures. Simple and easy. However, the book does offer a bit more: There’s a value in brackets here – it’s for so-called optional classes. These include monks, assassins, bards, druids, paladins, rangers, necromancers and swashbucklers. They are more powerful than the standard classes. Assassins and Swashbucklers in particular tend to be tougher the regular classes. Anyways, there are three optional rules I’d very much advocate following: Maximum hit points at 1st level, allowing humans to swap the lowest ability score with a 15 and one that treats 1st level clerics as having 0 1st level spells, granting a bonus spell for high Wisdom.

Beyond 7th level, PCs may accumulate perks by paying with credits – one credit is gained per adventure completed. These may be used to pay for more hit points, lowering saving throws, etc. Class-only options are also covered. These are solid. The pdf does include a series of weapons and ammunition is not tracked in SWCL. Damage ranged from 1d6 – to 1d6 +1. The game knows 5 types of armor and some adventuring gear is also included.

Combat is simple: You determine initiative: 1d6. Side that rolls higher goes first. There is a chance for a tie – “the sides are considered to be acting simultaneously. How does this work? No idea. Options for the game are simple: Moving, attacking, casting spells. Characters can attack and move or cast a spell and move. Characters within 10 ft. are considered to be in combat. Missile attacks into combat have an equal chance to hit enemies or allies in combat. Targets with 0 hp die, and a day of uninterrupted rest nets 1 hit point. Monsters save by subtracting their HD from 19. Base movement per round is assumed to be 90 ft. for the small races 120 ft. for humans and elves. Running doubles that. Spells are depicted in a minimalist bullet-point style, noting range and duration. Traps are categorized in 4 different lethality degrees, and the pdf contains an impressive array of critters from the classics, with special monster traits noted in the back. Mundane and magical treasure is also included.

We end with a handy glossary and half a page of advice to convert Swords & Wizardry to SWCL and vice versa. The pdf comes with a no-frills character sheet.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a rules-language and formal level. The pdf is easy to grasp, pick up and play – sequence of presentation makes sense. Layout adheres to a no-frills 1-column b/w-standard with a mixture of really nice and some less impressive b/w-pieces. Annoyingly, the pdf has no bookmarks, which constitutes a comfort detriment when using this. Particularly rules-sets, even rules-lite ones, should allow for quick navigation.

Zach Glazar, James M. Spahn and Erik “Tenkar” Stiene’s take on Matt Finch’s original retroclone is a resounding success in what it attempts to do. This is traditional old-school gaming, with the classic attributes and everything, envisioned in a way that is as accessible as it’s bound to become. This is a fantastic way to get into gaming. Now, I do think that there are a few components here that could use a tad bit of streamlining. Death attacks should have a save, imho, and I’d limit swashbuckler armor choices. Similarly, the fact that there are ascending and descending AC values can be slightly confusing for newbies, and the +1 in the HD table should be explained. Apart from these nitpicks, many of which were born from tradition and the desire to remain faithful to the source material, this represents a resounding success for a more than fair price point. While not perfect, I consider this well worth checking out – my final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Royce R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/18/2017 22:41:03

Do you consider Excalibur a decent back-up weapon?

Is what you call "Improved Continual Light" what other people call "Sunrise"?

Do the gods ask YOU what's going to happen today?

Do you consider your dad multi-classed because he works two jobs to keep you in rulebooks and supplements?

Then scat. Shoo. Go away kid, you bother me. Ain't nothing to see here.

But if you remember the days when most of the game rules and stats could fit in your head, next to your imagination and sense of humor, you've come to the right place. Pull up a chair. break out your best 3d6 and d20 (that's all you'll need), open up your snack locker, grab a pencil and a character sheet (it has plenty of room to customize it yourself), and allons bebe, laissez les bon temps rouler!

Damn, the beastiary has no listing for vampire; that sucks. Oh, well...



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Steve B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/18/2017 18:59:40

Excellent rules-light rpg since I no longer have the time to read 300+ pages of core rules... But why does the dwarf and the thief have some little differences between SWL and SWCL?

The dwarf no longer have the defensive bonus vs. giants (+4 AC) in SWCL... In SWL, the thief have 1/D6 move silently, etc. and in SWCL he have 1-2/D6?

And I would add dark vision (60') to dwarves and elves or at least night vision to elves...

Besides that, THANK YOU very much for this practical little treasure rpg.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Jesse R. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/17/2017 23:18:45

I was pleasantly surprised looking through this slim tome. Can we call it a tome even? S&W is a great system to build other systems off of, but I had doubts about needing another "lite" rule set. It has the standard stuff you'd expect to find like the basic classes and races, but the way it implents them is creative. Especially the "subclasses". So simple but with variety. I don't know if I'd play a long term campaign with this set, but I want to give it a try. I'll certain think of using it in my next pick up game, where I think it'll really shine. A neat experience system that, while not new, gives it a unique feeling. A small spell selection but gives you everything you may need, and expanding it would be a cinch. Same with the moster listing: not all of our favorites, but enought to go on for quite a while. Looking forward to the pod version.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Thaddeus M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/17/2017 19:24:31

Swords & Wizardry Complete from Frog God Games is a clone of the entire original D&D (OD&D) rules from 1974-1977. S&W Light is rules light 5 page version of the same and S&W Continual Light is a 16 version of the same. This is a superb rules light game for introducing BOTH new and young players to the world of fantasy RPGs. Highly recommended. My only critque is the very plain character sheet at the end of the booklet. Lots of unused space in that sheet that could be filled with more lines and/or art. This is a nicely edited and cleanly laid out version of S&W Light which should provide you and your party years of new memories and spark some old ones. Easily compatible and expandable with other pre 1E AD&D editions. Well done!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
The character sheet is very vanilla. I'd be happy to throw some coin at someone that offers better - hint hint!
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Swords & Wizardry Continual Light
by Caleb C. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/17/2017 12:01:54

Ever had a non-gamer friend express an interest only to watch their face fall when you passed them a "slim" 64 page rulebook?

Swords & Wizardry Continual Light is an ideal entry level Old-School RPG, suited to lapsed gamers who haven't played in decades, or even those who have never played before. Expanding on Swords & Wizardry Light, Continual Light allows play to 7th level and beyond, and provides ample support with rules for conversion of material published for Swords & Wizardry Complete. A must have for those who value simplicity and convience in their RPGs.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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