Over the past few years, my tabletop gaming group has really made an effort to try playing other roleplaying games outside of Pathfinder. By being more receptive to other systems, we have found that every game has its role as far as serving as a vessel for storytelling. Some games, like Blades in the Dark, excel at stories centered around heists and ne'er-do-wells. Pathfinder is for groups that want tactical, grid-based combat. And the Arkham Horror RPG, an extension of its universe established in the board gaming world, scratches the itch for 1920's eldritch horror. We've had an opportunity to play with the Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set - Hungering Abyss, and sink our teeth into the system and its world to see how it stacks up against other games.

Arkham Horror RPG Overview

There are two distinct parts of this review—how the Arkham Horror RPG plays as a whole, and discussing if the starter set fulfills its obligations and promise of being a suitable entry point for the game. We'll start with the game, extracting the base rules that are sprinkled throughout the included adventure.

First thing's first, the Arkham Horror RPG is a d6 system, meaning that it uses the standard 6-sided dice that serve as the most common random number generator around. Success of an action…

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Lost Omens Divine Mysteries Overview

Written from the perspective of Yivali—a nosoi psychopomp who is essentially a scribe for Pharasma, Golarion's resident Goddess of Birth and Death—Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries focuses on everything deific in the Pathfinder universe. The level of detail accomplished within these pages is staggering, considering that you won't only be learning about the major, most well-known deities known as the Inner Sea Gods.

The entire first chapter is dedicated to musings and essays on faith and the divine, such as how to worship a dead god or how to ascend to godhood. I won't say that these pages are necessarily common sense—because there are a variety of included historical examples to support the writing—but the meat of the book comes in…

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Jump to the bottom of this review for A Special Offer from Tabletone.

TableTone Overview

TableTone packs a punch by making accessible features without overcrowding the screen or overwhelming the user. You can save presets, scenes, set global ambiance, activate effects on a soundboard, and transition the atmosphere of the scene. It's a dynamic setup that lends itself well towards allowing the Gamemaster to make subtle adjustments as the current game situation changes.

When you load up a preset, you are presented with a Location & Situation wheel that features 8 different location sounds on the outside. The inside lists 3 general situations—Relaxed, Suspense, and Action. Each of the situation sounds will adjust the current location track to match the feel that you're going for. Let's say that the party is venturing…

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Golarian is no stranger to colossal, world-ending events—most of Paizo's published Adventure Paths actually tend to feature one. It must be a constant struggle to be a denizen in the world knowing that without proper heroes Golarion could fall to a Whispering Tyrant or be completely destroyed. In War of Immortals, Paizo tackles the question of what happens when a deity dies, and the ripple effect that such an event presents. It's a book teeming with myth and legend, supplanted with a thrilling story that ties into the novel Pathfinder Godsrain.

Pathfinder War of Immortals Overview

The Godsrain event encompasses the aftermath of Gorum's death in the current Golarion timeline. When this happens, a bloody rain of war descends upon the world, driving everyone into a bloodlust and frenzy for war. Even the deities maneuver for power during this time, dubbed the War of Immortals.

If memory serves, this book might be the first Pathfinder Second Edition publication that is specifically centered around a specific global event. This frame of reference resonates with me much more than generic volumes like Howl of the Wild that are presented as unassociated with any particular set of…

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Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of these products in exchange for an honest, unbiased preview. This preview is not intended to be an endorsement.

When people think of high fantasy role playing games, the imagery that often comes to mind is that of a sword-wielding warrior or a wizard blasting spells at a dragon. However there is so much more to see beyond the fantasy viewed through a European lens. Fantasy is a global concept, although it's important that drawing from unfamiliar source material is done considerately through the use of cultural consultants or first-hand experience. Paizo's development of the Tian Xia region has redefined what it means to be respectful to source material while adapting it for their Pathfinder setting.

Tian Xia World Guide Overview

Tian Xia is one of Golarion's massive continents, embraced by the Embaral and Okaiyo Oceans. Most of the familiarity with Pathfinder's setting is dominated by the regions of Avistan, which includes Varisia, Belkzen, and my personal favorite—Galt. It may be a different atmosphere than the settings of many of Paizo's Adventure Paths, but its influence on the world at large is noticeable.

The majority of the Tian Xia World Guide was written by people of Asian descent. Therefore, its pages offer perspectives based on experiences…

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Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of these products in exchange for an honest, unbiased preview. This preview is not intended to be an endorsement.

With Paizo's release of Player Core 2 for Pathfinder Second Edition, 8 more classes and Ancestries are now reworked to coincide with the Pathfinder Remaster Project. This also rounds out the original 'core' classes from the first Core Rulebook so that nobody is left behind any longer. It always seemed strange to me that some of those weren't remastered in the Player Core and instead put on the backburner until this installment. Nevertheless, the combination of Player Core and Player Core 2 exist as a sturdy base for this next era of Pathfinder Second Edition.

Pathfinder Player Core 2 Overview

Player Core 2 brings the total page count for the player resources to nearly 800 pages, which feels like a substantial barrier to entry for new players. Thankfully, there still exists a remastered version of the Pathfinder Beginner Box that cuts down the rules overhead substantially for those people who are just dipping their toes into the Pathfinder waters. If you want a bevy of character options as a player, however, the Player Core 2 is a must for the shelf.

The primary purpose of the Player Core…

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Reclamation themes are commonly explored throughout the media we consume. Whether it is presented in a mysterious way like Lost, or through a lens of inevitability during a post-apocalyptic story like I am Legend, there's always a hearty contrast between the power of nature and the desire of humanity to endure. In Life in Reterra, the latest game from designers Ken Gruhl and Eric Lang, you are tasked with building up a community from the remnants of the past.

Life in Reterra Overview

There aren't any life-threatening zombies on Reterra, although the other players may serve as threats to the livability of your community. In Life in Reterra, players will be placing tiles in a 4x4 grid in order to line up gear symbols and match terrain types. Gear symbols allow you to place buildings, thus adding a means for scoring and areas of interest for your community's inhabitants.

Each game features 5 different building cards, which can be mixed and matched to foster a gaming experience that is suitable for your group. Since these are also double-sided, there are thousands of combinations of buildings to play with. Some of these buildings offer more take-that mechanics that impact other players, and some grant a more peaceful, solitaire-like experience.

After setting up the buildings and the public market of 5…

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Growing up in a family of six we basically had two staple board games: Pay Day and The Game of Life. The former instilled a vast distrust of the lottery in me at a young age and the latter taught me about the inevitability of taxes. Either way, I have a fondness for both games, even if they don't live up to modern board game expectations. Adulthood, Johnny O'Neal's latest offering from Brotherwise Games, does its best to capture the unexpectedness of life and those nostalgic vibes.

Adulthood Overview

Just like the real world, Adulthood is about investing your Time, Energy, and Money into various activities that will maximize your Happiness and Impact. Something new is always on the horizon whether it be a new love interest, exciting career, or worthwhile experiences that shape the path of your life's journey.

During a player's turn, they assign their purple Time tokens to any activities on their player board. Additionally, if any of the actions have other costs associated with them, they must also be paid at this time. Once actions are declared, each one is played out in whatever order the player sees fit, gaining any relevant resources or cards as indicated.

Once actions have been taken, the player drafts a card from the Market, representing their growth…

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Critical Role is the biggest name in the Dungeons & Dragons actual play scene, and Darrington Press is the publishing label for all their tabletop gaming offerings.The Uk'otoa board game was the first published game under this brand, named after the patron of one of Campaign Two's characters, Fjord. Although I haven't watched or listened to much of Critical Role—it's such a major time investment—I was still drawn towards Uk'otoa knowing how much effort and care goes into the production of their ventures.

Uk'otoa Overview

Uk'otoa, a monstrous beast of the sea, has obliterated your ship leaving all its sailors in a mad scramble to survive atop the floating wreckage. You will be affiliated with two factions, and if sailors of your faction(s) are the only sailors remaining, you win the game. In this semi-cooperative game, each player is sharing factions with their neighbors, but eventually there will be some level of mutiny amongst the group. It's only a matter of time.

The opening of the game consists of two preparatory phases. First, players will place the individual ship hexes to form the play area, with the main requirement being that each subsequent tile must point to the previously placed tile. This creates a variable board each time, although the recommended starting arrangement seems to balance the game well…

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For decades, the Open Gaming License (OGL) had allowed people to use the framework of Dungeons & Dragons to make their own systems, content, and adaptations to the juggernaut of tabletop roleplaying games. Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast decided to release an updated OGL in 2023 that removed references to versions 3.0, 3.5, and 5.0 from being listed under community use. As a result, Paizo pivoted to create their own Open RPG Creative License (ORC) and remaster Pathfinder Second Edition to remove itself from the legal thumb of Wizards.

This debacle introduced a slew of content from Paizo as a part of the Pathfinder Remaster Project, including the new set of Core books designed to get you into the game. Instead of a single Core Rulebook and a Bestiary, the new Pathfinder Core now consists of three books: Player Core, GM Core, and Monster Core.

Pathfinder Player Core

The Pathfinder Player Core rulebook is the direct replacement for the original Core Rulebook and remains the bread and butter of…

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I'm largely unfamiliar with the Aviation Wargame genre of gaming, although not due to lack of interest. As much as I'd love to sink my teeth into something like Star Wars: X-Wing, I'm well-known for going all-in on miniatures games only to find myself lacking someone who would mirror the same investment. Therefore, I was intrigued to see Aerodome: Rising Horizons as a budget substitute for the sprawling miniature experience.

Aerodome: Rising Horizons Overview

The object of the game is aerial supremacy. Take down your opponent by reducing their Hit Points to 0 before they do the same to you.

When starting a new game of Aerodome: Rising Horizons, you need to select the Stadium that you'll be fighting in. It's called a Stadium as opposed to a Battleground or Location because you're playing as pilots of aircraft across time and dimensions. At least, that's what I was able to glean from the 'Story so Far' section of the rulebook that really just outlined the various factions battling in the game.

Each player hops into the proverbial cockpit of a fighter, assuming the role of a prodigious pilot like Alice Drummond or Van Vertigo. The pilot determines which types of cards—and how many of each—can be combined to make your Maneuver Hand. Think of the Maneuver Hand as…

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There's one trope in gaming that I feel is severely underutilized: flipping the script. Typically, games put you in the shoes of the valiant heroes to slay beasts, collect treasures, and save the day. That's all well and good, but sometimes I want to play on the other side of the aisle and be the bad guy. Games like Evil Corp or Overboss immediately come to mind, offering a different perspective from the norm. When I saw Open Season for the first time, I was naturally drawn in simply on the premise of collecting heads from hapless heroes to put on my trophy room wall.

Open Season Overview

Gameplay in Open Season is very simple. Each turn starts with the Inn showing five potential People for the active player to take. Of these People, they'll choose two, placing one onto an available space on their Wall and the other into their Stock. Seems straightforward, right?

Where the game gets interesting is that your Wall restricts cards from being played in certain spaces. Usually this comes in the form of a row disallowing another of a previously played type of People card from being played in that row. A portion of the middle row is an exception, where playing three of the same kind of People card will…

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Back in high school, countless lunch hours were spent huddling around our oblong tables with piles of playing cards as we repeatedly pounded the playing surface over and over again. Slapjack may be an early iteration of slapping card games, but it paved the way for a genre that gave us the magic of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Now, other companies seek to emulate that game's success, with one of the latest being Cool Cool Cool, designed by Keith Baker and Jennifer Ellis of Twogether Studios.

Cool Cool Cool Overview

If you've played any slapping games in the past, you'll find plenty of familiarity with Cool Cool Cool. After evenly distributing the cards between all players, each person takes a turn flipping their top card over into the center of the table to form a communal pile, saying the name of the card in the process. If one of the active rules is triggered by this card, players try to be the first to slap the stack and collect all of the cards played in the round thus far.

The gimmick in this game, however, is that there are eight rules cards that will change the slapping conditions. For example, the base game plays with Pairs, Panini, and The Name of the Game. Pairs would mean that…

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